The Brave and the Bold
by Boombox94
Summary: A twist of fate caused Jace Storm and his brother to be rescued by team RWBY and Doctor Oobleck. Maybe it was by chance, maybe it was destiny. There is no way to tell. Along the way, he forms a team with Auron Karmine, Raine Daturas, and Alyss Wystar in Beacon Academy. These four will make a name for themselves, but not in the way they thought. Other tags: Hurt/comfort. Friendship.
1. Prologue

**AN: Hello and welcome to this adventure that was spawned one night from not being able to sleep. It's something I've worked a few months with and I'm proud that I actually did it. All on my iPod too. Hopefully you guys that do read it will enjoy it. I've tried to avoid many things like making my characters seem too powerful or edgy. Also, with the release of Volume 4, none of the new characters will be in this. Some of the details of the World of Remnant videos will be though. I have this story finished out already, And new characters would take a lot more work. It does have minor things from it though, like outfits. It will go alongside canon up until the finale of Volume 3, then it goes from there. There will be small things that change to make them sync up together, but nothing major.**

 **And concerning romance… There will be absolutely no OCxCanon ships. Only OCxOC and CanonxCanon. I'm not sailing those waters. It'll only go to friendship and that's it. I promise.**

 **But, with that being said, welcome to The Brave and the Bold.**

 **XxXxX**

 **New pieces**

 **Location: Residential District of Vale**

* * *

In her home in Vale, a young Faunus girl by the name of Alyssia Wystar was relaxing in her living room. She wore a simple purple shirt and light gray jeans on her legs. Her hair was ash blonde, the bangs on the right side naturally colored black, extending halfway down her back and was hanging freely over her shoulders. The black of her hair extended up to the right side of her head where her right cat ear was, covering it in black fur while the other was blonde fur. She sighed and stood up, wondering where her mother, Lilith Wystar, was. She was supposed to return with groceries thirty minutes ago.

 _"She must've got held up by traffic."_ She thought to herself as she stretched out her slender form.

Her mother always said she was naturally athletic. At five feet and seven inches in height, her legs were long and toned, her arms were slender and firm, her stomach was flat but toned. Her breasts were a C cup that, with the right bra, never got in her way when training. Her hands had a decently strong grip to them after training so much with her weapon, her glaive, which doubled as a good walking stick for if she needed it. She trained with different attacks, thrusts, swings, and turns mostly, and tried to improve more. But she was only in the second rank of combat in Vacuo's combat school.

They had been in Vale since Alyss was allowed to advance to a Huntsman Academy, which had been about a year. Her ex-boyfriend was doing well from the message she received before. She was glad they could still be friends after they decided to break up. Long distance relationships hardly ever worked for anyone and they both decided they didn't want the stress.

Ever since her mother told her one thing when Alyss was ten, she had trained herself with her weapon. Because as Lilith had said, _'_ _A weapon in your hands is the only thing that can protect you in this world.'_ Alyss took that to heart and trained harder in combat. That was until she discovered her semblance. When training at thirteen years old, she twisted her ankle badly and fell over. It was painful for her, as it was by complete surprise, and her aura couldn't help it for several moments. Before her mother could help, Alyss placed her hands on it and, to both their surprise, her hands glowed purple and the pain went away. Ever since then, along with adopting purple as a color she always wore, she had trained more with her healing semblance. But with nothing bad happening and no one getting injured, that was difficult. It definitely wasn't a bad thing. She hated to see people hurt.

Alyss raised up from where she was bent over in a stretch and walked to the kitchen. She found a cherry flavored water and started to drink it. The flavor of cherry was her absolute favorite thing. The water had taken the taste of the cherry down considerably, but with the enhanced senses from her heritage, she could taste every bit of it. She went back to the living room and sat down. She changed the channel of the television from one of those cheesy romance shows and flipped through them, eventually finding the Vale News Network.

What she saw made her heterochromatic emerald and sapphire eyes go wide in shock and fear. She saw a horrible looking crash where a car was T-boned on the driver's side by a delivery truck. The worst part was that she recognized the car. When the camera went to view the driver of the car, she gasped in horror and her cat ears pressed against her head. It was her mother. Alyss stared in shock as she was put into an ambulance. She heard her scroll buzz on the table next to the couch and rushed to answer it.

"H-hello?"

"Alyssia Wystar?" A man asked.

Alyssia gulped and slowly answered. "Yes…"

"Your mother has been in an accident." He said, and Alyss rushed to leave the house.

She called a cab quickly and waited. After an excruciating amount of time, one arrived and she directed the driver to the hospital in the district.

"Excuse me, but is something wrong?" The woman asked her, keeping her eyes on the road easily.

"M-my mom was hurt. She was taken to the hospital." She said quietly and with fear in her quivering voice.

The driver nodded and stayed silent. She drove as fast as the speed limit would allow, hoping to get the girl there without much hassle.

In thirty minutes, they had arrived. Alyss paid the driver what she owed and rushed inside the hospital. At the front desk, the man looked at her fearful expression, then to the top of her head and only assumed who she was there for. "She is in surgery at the moment. You will have to wait." He told her and led her to the waiting area.

There, she sat alone. All she could do was wait and hope her mother was going to be alright.

 **Location: Outskirts of Mistral City**

* * *

"Shouldn't you be gettin' to bed, Auron?" Auron's father asked as his son was sitting in the living room, honing the edge of the long weapon he had just recently put together. He worked as he wore a pair of well-worn jeans and a dark red tank top. And on the table in front of him were his two double barrel revolvers he had bought for himself three months prior. One was black and gray, and the other black and lavender. He had already finished cleaning them before. They were purchased using the lien he made by searching for and selling dust and scrap metal in the swampy forests surrounding their property, a large clearing in the middle of the forest south of Mistral with their house in the center.

"I'm too excited to be goin' to Haven." Auron answered with a grin, then took a bite of his midnight snack, a few pieces of deer jerky that his mother had finished fixing earlier that day. The way his mother always prepared it has it overtaking fried chicken as his favorite food. It was heavily marinated in multiple sauces. Teriyaki and Worcestershire being the most heavily used. She let it soak for three days before dehydrating it and when it was finished, Auron could hardly help himself. His mother knew to compensate for his appetite for it and made plenty to last for a long while for everyone. She had taught him how to make it himself, but he always preferred hers more.

His father, Smoke Karmine, grinned and shook his head. "You still got a couple months to wait. An' you still gotta get your transcripts in order." He said and caused the young boy to groan.

"Why do I gotta do the paperwork? Shouldn't they have got it done in Sanctum?"

"Well, Mistral's different like that. Hell of a lot better than Vacuo I think. Just don't forget."

"Makes no sense. But I guess I'll have to do stuff like that sooner or later." Auron answered as he made sure the his weapon changed from sword to lever-action rifle as smoothly as it should.

He sighed and stood up, finishing off the last piece of jerky as he went. His form easily towered over most people he met, being nearly seven feet tall like he was. He was muscular and broad shouldered, which made his life a bit easier at Sanctum. Not that he was any type of bully, he was just an imposing sight that just kept anyone from messing with him the wrong way. A few of his friends knew to steer clear of him if someone made him angry enough, but one always rationalized with him and calmed him down, telling him that he didn't want to get suspended or expelled. That person was his closest friend and rival. Pyrrha Nikos.

In the regional tournaments, they had both made it to the final round each time. Pyrrha always got the better of him greatly though. She was just so fluid in her movements and she could avoid and dance around most of his attacks, striking at any opening she saw. The first fight caused Auron to respect her, and to train harder to win the next year. The second brought them together as friends. The third brought both of them the respect of others, but Pyrrha more so than Auron. The fourth was what caused them to drift apart. Not due to any bad blood between them, but because that was when companies started to become Pyrrha's sponsors. From Atlas Research and Development, Century Arms, Savage Arms, and S&S Munitions, every company wanted her on their side. Conventions and meetings kept them from spending time together to train and they haven't seen each other in a long while. People started to view Auron as the one who _'_ _couldn't get the job done.'_ He didn't care. He never cared. He just wanted a good fight and Pyrrha brought that to him every single tournament. The lien was just a bonus. She was one person he would fight back to back with if she ever needed the help. From her skill level, that was a big _if_.

"I guess I _should_ get to bed." Auron admitted and walked toward the stairs with his weapons.

"Damn right you should." Smoke said and laughed.

"I heard that, Jeff!" Smoke's wife, and Auron's mother, Katherine called through the house from other room. She was not any fan of cursing. The last time Auron had cursed around her, which was in a scroll conversation with his father a few months prior while Smoke and Kathy were in the city, she had come back and smacked Auron's arm so hard he yelled out. He had refrained from cursing around her since.

"Sorry Kathy!" Jeff, or Smoke as he went by, called back to her.

A _crack_ of sound rang through the silence of the night. It sounded like a gunshot.

"Dad, you hear that?" Auron asked. His bright auburn eyes were wide and alert now, even though it was nearly midnight. He turned and held his rifle ready, glaring out the closed window.

"Hell if I know, Auron. But I don't like it." Smoke answered lowly. He brought up his revolver-rifle and followed his son's gaze.

Auron crept forward and slowly opened the front door. He peered out into the darkness, feeling the wind blow through his light-black hair. Several dust rounds slammed into the wall and the boy recoiled back. One round bit into his cheek and burned. The surprise of it completely bypassed his aura.

"Damn!" He yelled and slammed the door shut. The heat of the burn dust round seared the wound shut immediately and he brought his hand up to feel it.

"Jeff, Auron, what's going on?" He heard his mother ask as she stepped into the room.

"Kathy, get down!" Smoke yelled. She complied immediately and crouched. "I don't know, but there's some people shootin' at the house." He continued and looked out the window again. More shots hit the wall and broke the windows, allowing the two to return fire.

After expending the ammunition in their weapons, Auron brought his palm to the ground. He pulsed his aura through it and brought up two dust-metal walls outside and in front of the windows. The porch was fixed specifically for this reason at the suggestion of a family friend. Two long spots of earth were left exposed on the mostly wooden porch of the house, letting Auron bring up temporary protection in the event they would need it. This was such an event.

Auron and Smoke were too distracted to notice something move on the other side of the living room.

They heard Kathy scream and turned around, pulling their guns up but not in time. The snake Faunus quickly bit into Kathy's shoulder, pumping her with venom before Smoke shot the Faunus off of her. He didn't stop with one shot to the head to stun him, he continued to fire all of the rounds in his rifle into the man's chest, completely draining his weak aura and killing him.

"Damn it! Kathy!" Smoke yelled and ran to his wife's side, who was now laying on the floor, already unconscious from the shock. "God damn it! Auron, go get the damn truck!" He ordered and Auron quickly ran through the door, going as fast as he could. It looked to him like the attackers had backed off since they saw gunfire within the house. He ran toward where his father's truck was parked, hoping to run into one of their attackers to pay them back.

As Auron brought the truck to the front of the house, Smoke held his wife closely as his jowls shook uncontrollably in anger with how hard he clenched his teeth together. He tore his glare of anger and worry from Kathy and looked over to the now-dead snake Faunus. He noticed his outfit and the emblem displayed on it. In the lighting, he couldn't tell much, but he saw enough of it to know who they were.

White Fang.

 **Location: Border of Vale and Vacuo**

* * *

"It is an honor to have two Rangers accompanying this hunt!" Professor Port exclaimed as the small group walked through the forest. They were searching for an Alpha Ursa, nearly three times as large as a normal Major. It had been terrorising a small village near the border of the deserted Vacuo and the forested Vale, on the southernmost edge of Saunas. Professor Port had arrived at the village and called for the assistance of two local Rangers. His words were addressed to them, two Faunus. One older man and a young girl. Their facial features were masked by the shadows the hood of their cloaks cast, but two spots on the top of each of their heads poked up against their hoods. The garment in question made it seem like the two blended in and out of reality. A Ranger specialty.

 _Rangers_

There were few of them on Remnant. Four to seven in each Kingdom, plus apprentices. Their numbers added up to fifty in total. They were the _'Silent Huntsmen.'_ They trained themselves mostly, with the apprentices attending combat schools or Huntsmen academies along with that training. Two were assigned to each council, keeping their watch over everything and helping keep the peace, watching over the councils, combat schools, and academies along with the rest of whichever Kingdom they were assigned. Multiple other Rangers spread throughout a Kingdom, taking missions as any Hunter would, but sometimes they are tasked with information gathering on any criminal activity. Their skills as fighters were renown, as well as their skills at stealth. It was said that just one Ranger could ghost into a Grimm infested area and clear them completely before they realized what hit them. They had a need for silenced weapons most of the time, so they either had dust bows and crossbows, or silenced firearms.

Their skills made them well respected. Their independent status from the Kingdoms made many people wary of them. They obeyed the laws of a Kingdom down to the letter, but the leader of a council could not order them to do anything they had objections with. An arrangement that had been made at the end of the Great War. Their founding was instrumental in the end of it as well. They came from all Kingdoms, tired of the fighting and killing, and worked in secret to smooth things over. They were present at the signing of the peace treaty on the island of Vytal, and they had gained their status as a force not to be trifled with. Ever since then, they had evolved into an organization that was a force for themselves first, and the Kingdoms second.

"It's a pleasure to be hunting with a teacher from Beacon," The older Ranger said, then turned to his youngest daughter. "If you impress him, you may be accepted into Beacon, Raine." He tugged experimentally on the string of his longbow, making sure it was undamaged.

"Ah yes, Halt. It would be a pleasure to teach another Ranger-in-training. Emowyn was a fine student." Port said to the man.

"And what would I have to do, exactly?" Raine asked as she took her own longbow from her back. She decided against unslinging her sniper rifle from her back. _"It would be more impressive to use my bow."_ She thought to herself. Her family was the only one that she knew of that used the archaic weapons. They even made their own arrows for them. Her father, sister, and herself all had their muscles built in their arms from practicing and training with their bows. Raine less-so since she had only been training for a year with hers, considering her sister had gifted it to her.

"Just be calm, handle yourself well, and watch our backs," Her father replied with a nod to her. "Go up in the trees and scout out up ahead."

Raine nodded and went up into the highest branches of the nearest tree and looked around the area. With her small, five feet and four inch frame, she easily scaled the tree. Her build made it easy for her to accomplish certain tasks in her training, such as staying hidden for an extended amount of time. Her strategy for that was to climb into the nearest tree and stay still. She learned that when people are searching for an intruder or a student, they rarely look up. A bonus from her small frame, to her at least, was that her breasts were between A and B cup. She didn't have to fool around with getting them to stay in place as much as her older sister did. And when she climbed a tree, they didn't press up too much against the bark. Perfect for her.

From her perch, she looked in every direction for any movement. Then, she saw trees rustling a mile away.

She re-focused her eyes and went back down the tree quickly, then addressed the group. "North," she stated simply and the hunting party moved out.

"How has Emowyn been, Halt?" Port asked the Ranger.

"She's well. She was assigned to Mistral at the last Gathering." He answered with a small grin. The Ranger Gathering was an event held once a year in a secretive location on Remnant. Every Ranger from every Kingdom, apprentices included, gathered to meet with friends, receive a new assignment, switch who watched the councils, and have a moment to relax and talk. It spanned over the course of three days, giving them ample time to talk or do anything else. Their next Gathering would take place the next month. Halt and Raine had been making preparations for travel, but had taken this mission at the last minute.

Port nodded and smiled under this large mustache. "Good to hear. I'm sure she'll keep them in line." The two shared a chuckle as Raine followed close behind them.

She had an arrow on her bowstring and one in her right hand as she held the shaft. She _had_ to impress Port here. It would do a great deal for her if he took a good word back to Ozpin, as she missed the deadline to submit her transcripts to Beacon. She was in the middle of a training session in the forest near their house and lost track of time. She had scolded herself constantly for that slip-up ever since her father had told her.

"What is your semblance, Raine? How did you find out which direction to go?" Port asked the girl, bringing her from her thoughts.

"Oh, my semblance? It's in my eyes. I can magnify them to the range of the longest range scope," Raine grinned a bit under the shadow of her hood, "I saw trees rustling a bit. It was further than what my eyes can go to clearly, but it was enough."

"That is very impressive." The Huntsman replied to her, then laughed loudly as he remembered the girl's sister. "I'm glad it is nothing like Emowyn's. That girl gave many students the scare of their lives."

"Really now?" Halt questioned him curiously, "I'll have to talk with her about that."

They walked for thirty more minutes and stopped for another break. "I'm gonna head up and scout out again." Raine said and quickly climbed up to the top of the nearest tree. She sat in a branch and peered in all directions, using her semblance to magnify her sight to different ranges. She was startled wen she saw a tree violently shaking just over one hundred yards away. She jumped straight down and used her aura to break the fall, landing a few feet from the two older men.

"Hundred yards. That way." She said and pointed toward the direction of the movement. They quickly moved out and ceased speaking.

Then, they heard the Grimm's loud roar.

 **Location: Forest outside Atlas**

* * *

On the outskirts of the kingdom of Atlas, two young men worked slowly to prepare a camp. It was small and simple, as they would move on first thing in the morning. They were out roaming the forest to find different materials to use in crafting a weapon for the younger of the two, who just carried a simple claymore on his back in a sheath. He was six feet and three inches in height.

On the outside, he didn't look extremely muscular, but had definition in his his body for certain. Underneath his clothes, his body was toned and taken care of, and underneath the skin were the powerful muscles he worked with for a long time, training in preparation for Atlas Academy. He had medium length dark brown hair, a very short beard, and his eyes were a deep brown color. He wore simple dark brown boots, dark grey jeans, burn dust laced gloves, and a thick, black leather jacket over a red shirt to help keep the cold from him. The burn dust in the gloves helped keep his hands from freezing as well. The last piece to his attire was a metal shoulder guard covering the outside of his upper-right arm, emblazoned with a cross with a snake around the top of it, a gift from their father. He joked constantly with the other boy and laughed at any jokes made toward himself.

The other boy stood just a couple of inches taller than his companion. He was also two years older than him. He carried a very large greatsword, significantly larger than the claymore the younger boy wielded, only a foot in length separating the tip from the ground when set on his back. It was single edged and the tip was centered with edges on both sides, almost looking like a giant knife blade. It was held by a strong magnetic plate connected to a harness he wore on his back. He wore black boots, black pants, a white shirt under a metal chest plate, and a long, sleeveless dark red duster over that. The bottom of the coat extended down to his knees and ended in two points on both sides, below the waist of it was split in the front, back and sides, with the front middle split apart above his waist. It could be zipped up to cover his chest, but he had it open fully to show the cross on the chestplate, with a snake's body wrapped around the top of it. It was gifted to him by their father as well.

He had no facial hair and his hair was a very dark shade of red, almost black in color with one streak of lighter red going down both sides. It was a bit longer than the younger boy's hair, but held back in a ponytail, unlike the other boy's who had his loose over his shoulders. His eyes were the color of sapphires at the moment, but changed to a deep emerald colored every few hours.

He was less muscular than his companion, but only by a little. They often tested each others' abilities with random sparring matches, almost mirroring each other. From when they were young children they had always done this, except with branches of small trees instead of actual swords. Their father always watched them from the porch of their house, correcting them in stance and posture when he saw a small flaw or weakness, but otherwise let them discover their own stance. For them, it always ended with bruised knuckles and shins, sore arms and backs, and bloodied heads. The older boy even kept himself from moving up through Atlas' combat school in order to stay with his brother, to keep from getting more advanced training and never having that advantage, only leaving it to personal skill. They improved in time and never seemed to one-up each other, always matching the skill of the other but never surpassing.

Their father in question was Haile Reznor, a now-retired Huntsman that found them both in the streets of Atlas separately, years ago. The older boy's name is Genesis Galloway, Haile found him when he was ten years old, sitting on the side of the street his parents had died when the hearing pipes under their home exploded and destroyed the house. Genesis was the only survivor. A few months later, Haile came across Jace Storm, alone in an alley with a makeshift bandage around his head and holding a ruined pistol. His parents had just abandoned him. Jace was eight at the time when Haile offered him a hand. From the moment the boy's met, they were almost inseparable. They trained against each other, attended the combat school, switched to Atlas' Huntsman Academy recently, and defended themselves against any who tried to bully them for their origins.

Now, Haile only took missions rarely, only if he was heavily needed and made visits to other Kingdoms' Huntsman academies to offer any advice he could give. He always seemed to be sifting through papers, whether they were mission reports, mail, old notes or a newspaper. He always wanted to see mission reports to keep up to date on the Huntsman activities, he felt it kept him occupied also.

Just as Jace hadn't created his own weapon, Genesis hadn't given his a name yet. They've both been racking their brains for weeks before Jace suggested they go out into the forest, to both search and think about what to do.

It also did them some good to be away from their team, two others that never seemed serious about training. They have been out for three days since March the fifth, this was the last day they would be out before they returned home.

"Damn, no luck finding much of anything. Just a few pieces of scrap," Jace crossed his arms in annoyance, trying to warm himself up while his brother started the fire, "You'd think that we would be able to find some stuff in the city pretty easily. Why the hell are they short on materials?" He had been really hoping that they could find something. He hoped that their father had more luck, he was supposed to go into Atlas to see if he could buy anything for them while they were out in the forest.

Genesis lit the campfire before he replied. "I don't know, but at least we have something to do something with when we get back."

"Maybe we should've brought your cards, that'd help pass the time."

"I'm not setting my cards on this wet snow." Genesis replied.

They were sitting on logs now, both honing the edges of their already razor-sharp swords, the rasping sound carrying through the trees.

"Hey Jace, you have any idea what your semblance is yet?" Genesis asked, trying to start a conversation to pass the time in place of a card game.

"No idea, I wouldn't even know how to activate it yet. I guess it'll happen when it happens." Jace replied, frowning slightly. Another issue the young boy had to deal with was the fact that his semblance was unknown to him. Genesis's semblance was called _'_ _Inferno'_ by Jace two years ago when his brother discovered it as they were being pushed around by a boy in combat school. It gave Genesis the power of fire, giving him the ability to launch fireballs and flamethrowers from his palms. His appearance also changed with it, making the veins of his forearms and hands look like they ran with lava. If he was really pushed, he could coat his whole body in blue flame. No one ever stayed close enough to see how high the temperature went. A passive ability of his semblance that he had discovered was that his body stayed warm at all times, so he didn't need any thick clothing to keep him warm in Solitos' freezing climate.

"For now, I'd just like to make my own weapon. Speaking of that, you remember that gun you made a long time ago? _Atronach_ , you called it?" Jace said and drew a smile from his brother.

"Yeah, I keep it in my box. I still love it to death, especially the lights when you load different shells into it and cock the hammer," Genesis replied and thought of the revolver. "Maybe I should bring it back out and modify it some."

"You did pretty good with it, especially since it was the first thing you made." Jace said, remembering how Genesis was so proud of himself when he made that pistol.

"And when the hell are you gonna take _Titan_ out of the garage?" Jace asked, referring to the motorcycle Genesis restored and built on to.

"I figured that when we get back, we could go into Atlas and get a few drinks. Atlas' drinking laws are pretty relaxed. Weird, considering it's the world's main military power," Genesis replied, "Plus I think it would do us some good to cut loose."

"That's another thing you did a good job with. We probably could use that after having to deal with Michael and Liza," Jace said with a frown on his face, "I mean, why couldn't we have been paired with Tyr or Ashe? They seem like they're doing pretty good."

Michael Slater and Liza Flair were their teammates. The two were slackers, only getting by because of the two brothers. As Jace had put it a week after they were paired with them, they were _'_ _two completely incompetent fucks,'_ that wouldn't take any orders from Genesis, the team leader.

"Yeah yeah, whatever. Those two can fail for all I care. We tried to tell them and help, but they don't care. They're just… so bad." Genesis shook his head and finished sharpening his sword.

"Oh, there's this drink you should try when we go, it's damn amazing. Double-chocolate vodka," Genesis suggested with a grin, "A few years ago I snuck a drink of it when we were all in the city."

"They make Double-chocolate vodka? That sounds really good. How'd you get away from me and dad to get it?" Jace asked and crossed his arms.

"Uh… yeah…" Genesis started and rubbed the back of his neck, "When dad was meeting with a friend when we were there, you were looking at a small weapons show and I was with dad. I saw a bottle on the counter, it said 'Double-chocolate,' I didn't think anything of it and just took a big drink of it. It tasted weird but really good, then I looked at the smaller letters on it and almost broke out laughing before I put the bottle down. I don't know if dad saw me or not, but he never said anything." Genesis almost broke out laughing again at remembering his first drink.

"So no one saw you just steal a drink from someone? That's a hell of a first drink." Jace responded and shook his head with a smile.

"I always wondered how Tyr lost his right hand." Jace said and leaned back against a tree.

"I heard it had something to do with his semblance when he first activated it," Genesis replied as he thought on it as well, "It's something I'd like to ask sometime if I get the chance."

"Isn't it rude to ask someone how they got a prosthetic though?"

"Is it rude to ask when he first used his semblance?"

"No, I guess not."

"Then that's what I'll ask."

Nearly a minute after they relaxed, they heard something in the forest.


	2. Chapter 1

**From Shadows**

Jace and Genesis immediately jumped to their feet and stood back to back, gazing around the small campsite.

"Jace, put the fire out!" Genesis said as he saw a figure run across his vision.

Jace quickly worked to smother the flames, kicking dirt into the pit and eventually putting it out.

Now, with only the moonlight, they could see outward more, their eyes adjusting to the little light the shattering moon provided. They could see now that their camp was surrounded by men wearing white vests, black sweatshirts and jackets, black pants and black hoods.

"Oum-damn it… White Fang." Jace said slowly, gazing past the faces in the darkness.

Genesis looked more closely at them before speaking. "No… I don't think they're White Fang. These people aren't wearing those Grimm masks. Plus they'd already be attacking us because of their advantage."

That advantage being that the Faunus, a race of men and women with animal traits, had near perfect night-vision, along with other heightened senses. And by extent, that meant the White Fang also. A group of Faunus extremists that cause havoc for the humans in order to forward their goals of 'equality,' no matter the cost of human life. The armed group slowly made they're way forward with weapons drawn.

"Well just who in the burning hells are these people then?" Jace asked as he prepared himself for assault.

The attack finally came when one of the attackers launched himself forward at Genesis, meeting his sword and causing illuminating sparks to fly, then another came at Jace with a flail. Jace easily sidestepped the slow weapon and sliced at the mans arm, causing his weapon to fall to the ground. It seemed that these people didn't know how to use their aura, or don't even have it unlocked to its full potential. If they did, this one shouldn't have dropped his weapon so easily, and wouldn't have taken a large gash on his forearm. It made them completely unprepared for facing the two brothers who were training to be this world's defenders.

Genesis kicked the knee of the man that engaged him, causing him to drop his guard long enough for Genesis to drive his knee into the man's face, rattling his brain and sending him to the snow. Four more came at them and tried to get past their defense. Genesis dispatched those on his side easily by sending a slash of energy at them through his blade, sending them flying towards where they came from.

Jace dodged the wild strikes on his side, slicing at one man's leg when he had an opening while giving the other man a boot to the face before Jace knocked him out with a strike from his pommel. That was six down now, but there was a dozen more waiting.

They kept themselves from targeting their attackers' necks or any other vital areas. They didn't _want_ to. Their father had always taught them that if it meant life or death, then they shouldn't hesitate in doing whatever it takes to survive. Even if it meant killing. Haile had told them countless times whenever something terrible happened on the news that the world was a horrible place sometimes. Cold, cruel, and some would rather see them dead than alive. He wanted his sons to be prepared in case something had ever happened to them. They already had a taste of it when they were on the streets. But they didn't have to do any of that now. They would surely handle this and make it home.

Not having the attitude to deal with this, Jace pulled out a dark metal, nine-shot, high caliber, semi-automatic pistol that he had since he was a child, named 'Ebonshot.' It also had a gravity-dust infused barrel to give even more power to his pistol. He shot four of them in the legs before two got to him, trying to slice the gun from his hand. He blocked a strike with the large pistol, then drove his foot into the man's gut and stunning him. The other had his weapon blocked by Jace's claymore, even in one hand it proved effective. Jace sliced at the man's legs with his sword before punted the stunned one in the side of the head, knocking him out cold.

Genesis heard the shots and followed suit, drawing his own pistol from his belt, and wounded the six on his side. They had a moments rest, having taken care of the dozen people that assaulted them.

They reloaded their pistols and looked around, weapons still ready. They didn't have long to regroup as a man and woman came at them and attacked in quick succession. The man that came at Jace wielded a scimitar and moved to swing it rapidly at him. He tried to place a shot through the man's leg to cripple him before it started, but the man's aura stopped the dust shot in its tracks.

The woman attacking Genesis was no different, both proving to be more competent than the last attackers. Unlike the other though, she wielded two tomahawks. In the dim light of the moon, Genesis finally noticed why they put up more of a fight.

Grimm masks.

"Jace, be careful. These two are White Fang." Genesis warned before he blocked a dual-overhand attack from the woman.

Through the sparks of their clashing weapons, Jace could now start to notice the white and red of the masks as well. "What the hell are they doing helping humans?" Jace asked as he kept blocking every strike.

Genesis used his semblance to send a fiery slash from his sword, catching and stunning the female Faunus momentarily as he flung a fireball at her. "Hell if I know. We need to try to get out of here." He replied as Jace planted an unexpected front-kick to his attacker's face.

The two brothers stood back to back and could only wait for the two Faunus to attack again.

"This was supposed to be simple!" The woman yelled in anger at the man.

"No one told us that they were competent fighters! Or that they can apparently see in the dark!" He yelled back.

That was something they guessed wrong. Jace and Genesis were merely accustomed to using the moonlight to see their way, considering they grew up in a house thirty minutes from Atlas' outer walls. The light pollution never affected them much.

The struggle lasted for a few more moments, both Jace and Genesis took small cuts on their arms and hands from blocking, which were quickly dealt with by their aura. The struggle drew Grimm closer to the fight and once the two White Fang soldiers noticed the oncoming Beowulves and Ursai, they quickly retreated and left the brothers to fight the creatures.

Jace almost growled after the two. "Damn it." He got out before a Beowulf dove toward them.

Now that they weren't fighting the two Faunus, Jace brought out his pistol again and smacked the Grimm across the snout with it. It stopped in its tracks and howled in anger. The howl was cut short when Jace swung his sword downward and cut the Grimm down the middle, leaving its head split before meeting again at its torso.

Genesis sent out a long slash of energy outward, catching five Grimm and a couple of trees in its path. He dodged the strike from an Ursa and stabbed his sword upward into its chest, then used his semblance to send a fireball into the face of another one. He pulled his sword from the decaying Ursa and slashed into a Beowulf, sending the blade through its midsection and into a Creep. He brought his sword back in time to block a charging Beowulf's claws. He was kept from flying backwards by supporting himself onto Jace's back as he regained balance, then sent the edge of his sword across the Beowulf's neck.

Three shots rang out as Jace put bullets into the heads of three oncoming Beowulves. He holstered his pistol and stabbed forward with his sword, skewering an Ursa in its mouth. He retracted it and slashed it across the chest of a Beowulf, then stabbed forward at it as well. A Creep jumped forward and slammed into him, but Genesis kept him from falling backwards. Jace reared his leg back and kicked the Creep with all his strength, sending it flying straight into the face of an Ursa. It swiped at Jace with its large paw and he slashed his sword across to sever it. It tried to attack with its other one but fell to the ground out of balance. Jace stabbed his sword downward into its head and brought it back out to cut another attacking Beowulf down.

Genesis blocked a powerful swipe with his sword, placing his left forearm behind the blade for added support against it. "Duck!" Jace yelled out and Genesis did just that. He felt the wind from Jace's sword as he spun around and took the Beowulf's head off. He followed through and brought his sword back around for another overhand cut, taking off the arm of another. It was easily killed off when Genesis pulled his pistol out and shot it through the skull over Jace's shoulder.

That left one more that needed to be dealt with, and it snarled at them both, seemingly telling them to attack. Jace and Genesis looked to each other and pointed their pistols at the beast, then pulled the trigger. They bought a moment of rest when no more Grimm attacked them, so they reloaded their guns again and kneeled.

"This makes no sense, none of it. The White Fang working with humans that have almost the same outfits? The hell's going on?" Jace asked in confusion.

"I don't know. The better question would be why are they after us? We've got nothing to do with them. I don't know what's happening, but we need to get out of here." Genesis said before he stood up and brushed the snow from his knee.

They started to gather their small amount of supplies and left the area quickly, looking behind their shoulders along the way. Jace looked around nervously and bit his lip, his old habit kicking in now that they were apparently targeted by some group of people. He saw something in the corner of his eye but it disappeared when he looked over that way. That just made him bite his lip a bit harder to help ease his mind from the nervousness and worry. He gripped the hilt of his sword tighter as they walked through the forest, prepared for anything or anyone to strike at them.

"What do you think this is for?" Jace asked quietly. The silence that the snowfall seemed to bring made his voice just seem all the louder.

"I don't know, we didn't do anything to them or get close to one of their hideouts that I know of," Genesis looked around to make sure nothing had gotten close to them, "We just really need to try to get back."

"You don't think someone wants us to be killed do you?"

"I hope not. A lot of the people at Atlas are assholes, but they're not that bad," Genesis replied uneasily, "Not even Michael and Liza."

They continued walking but something in the darkness made them freeze. They scanned the area, seeing no sign of any more White Fang or the other group that attacked them. But what they did see were piercing red eyes staring at them.

"Oh dust no," Genesis breathed, staring at the hundreds of sets of eyes. "Three days with almost no Grimm in sight. Our luck ran out on that."

They could see that the Grimm were moving in on them, ready to attack and tear into them. The large group seemed to consist of only Ursai and Beowulves that they could see, although there could be a Taijitu or Deathstalker in the midst of them.

While Jace and Genesis were focused on the Grimm, they didn't notice someone sneaking up to them. The person threw a smoke bomb in the middle of them, engulfing the area in a thick mist.

"What the hell!" Jace yelled out, coughing and falling to a knee.

"This stuff's poison!" Genesis could barely see, let alone speak. He fell to his knees and then fell to his face, knocked out by the gas.

Jace could barely make out people walking toward them before he fell over to he cold snow.

* * *

Jace was barely conscious when he heard someone's voice, a very annoying voice of a man.

"Enough with the illusions! We don't need them anymore!" The voice called, making Jace realize that they had been fooled. He stepped into Jace's line of sight and nodded. "Take them both," The man looked like a scientist. He wore a lab coat, was bald and blind in one eye, had burns all across his head, and looked as thin as a twig.

"You'll get the latter half of your payment in a week. Your services are no longer needed." He said to someone just out of sight. His voice was nowhere near soothing, as it seemed like it screeched through his ears.

"I would argue, but an illusion like that on two people made me really tired. Have your fun." Jace heard some woman say emotionlessly, but the voice was fading with his consciousness. He hated the thought that they were so careless in preparing camp. But they were prepared for Grimm, not people, and that was what confused him the most.

Just who were they?

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: And here is the first chapter. This alone took maybe five revisions and re-writes. I'll say that this is one of the shortest chapters. The beginning ones are decently short but the later ones even out around 4-5,000 words. Some go up to 6-8,000.**

 **For those that hopefully stick around, it's a wild ride.**

 **See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	3. Chapter 2

**Those Who Fight**

Jace's question was partially answered when he woke up a week after he and his brother had been taken. Genesis overheard two scientists talking about 'experiments' and 'dust,' two things that never go good together.

"What experiments are they talking about?" Jace asked, still livid about them being kidnapped easily and being taken to dust knows where.

"I don't know man," Genesis replied with a sigh, "But none of it's good."

They tried to shake off the remaining effects of the powerful gas. Their vision was blurry still and they were barely able to see anything.

"Damn it, how were we so careless?" Jace asked, holding his head in his hands.

"We weren't prepared for any people. We really had no reason to." Genesis replied lowly as he berated himself in his head.

"And what the fuck was the White Fang doing there!? They hate humans! Why would they be there!?" Jace yelled in frustration.

Genesis tried to place a hand on Jace's shoulder, but instead grabbed Jace's head due to his blurry vision. "Listen, we don't know for sure if the White Fang was helping them, they could've just saw a couple of weakened humans to kill for the hell of it. We just don't know." Genesis tried to explain, but couldn't fully believe his own words.

After half an hour of silence, their vision started to clear, and they could see where they were.

It was a small cell that had two very badly made beds, thick concrete walls, and a door of iron bars. There were no windows, only one small light bulb which if turned off would leave the room completely dark.

Without warning, a large giant of a man opened the cell door. He had to be between seven and eight feet tall, towering over the two brothers. His face was mangled by countless scars from different battles, with one large scar going diagonally across his face. He was an imposing sight to be certain. The brothers jumped up to their feet ready to fight.

"It's time now." The giant said in a deep, booming voice.

They held their ground and held their fists up. The giant growled in annoyance and stepped forward in one long step. He grabbed for Jace, but Genesis jumped in and struck him in the side. The giant pulled a syringe from somewhere and injected it into the side of Genesis' neck. He lost consciousness quickly and fell to the ground.

"You bastard!" Jace yelled and threw a punch toward the giant.

He growled again and knocked Jace's fist away, then slammed his elbow into the side of Jace's head. He grabbed Jace's face and slammed his head into the wall, breaking past his aura and busting his head open, leaving a splat of blood on the wall. The giant exhaled loudly through his nose like a bull and picked them both up, then carried them off.

* * *

When Jace awoke an hour later, his head was killing him. Even though his aura took a lot of the damage, it still broke through and felt like he headbutted a charging Goliath. When he shook the blurriness out of his eyes, they met the lead scientist's, and they were cold as ice.

"Well my young friend," He started, "It seems that Kurokuma was not as gentle with you as he was your brother." He cackled like a crow in Jace's face.

"Who in the burning hells are you?" Jace asked, biting back numerous curses.

"My name is Grigori," He said in that high-pitched, screeching voice, "But as far as you and your brother are concerned, I might as well be God,"

It was at that time Jace could make out voices and screams from other people.

"Don't pay any mind to them. They are just failed experiments. But you and your brother Genesis are far more promising than those failures that we scraped up." Grigori said while getting his equipment ready.

"Where is Genesis? Where do you have him?"

"Oh, we already finished our operation on him. His body took it well, but we'll have to see how he is over the coming days. The same with you, boy." He said as he injected Jace with a powerful tranquilizer to keep him out for days.

Jace, blacking out, thought back to his father, who is no doubt worried about them. He also hoped that this madman was lying about already experimenting on Genesis, but then his mind went blank as he faded out of consciousness.

Then the mad doctor went to work on his new lab rat.

* * *

Jace awoke many days later in that damned cell, wondering what Grigori did to him, but more importantly, Genesis. He felt strange, like something was in him that shouldn't be.

Jace looked around the cell quickly, but instantly regretted it as a sharp pain went through his head and he grabbed at it.

"Jace! Are you alright!?"

Jace bolted his head up at the sound of Genesis' voice in front of him, making his head hurt worse. "No, not really. My head's killing me."

Genesis sighed and looked Jace over. "How does the rest of you feel?"

"I feel like I'm sick, and there's something else I can't describe."

"A bit stiff? Like crystal or something?"

Jace moved his fingers around, but felt the weren't as fluid in their movements as before. "I guess you could put it that way."

"That's what it was like when I woke up, but I can move better now." Genesis rolled his shoulders and extended his arms outward.

There was loud knocking on the bars of the door and they turned to see Grigori standing there. "It looks like you boy's are awake now. How are you feeling?"

"Why are we here!?" Jace yelled at the man.

"No need to yell, I'm standing right here," The scientist laughed at them, then lowered his voice to a whisper, "You should be able to hear me well enough. It seems your bodies took everything well, but I'll have to see in the future what happens to you."

"What did you do to us!?" Genesis yelled this time.

"Ah, now that is something worth asking, but it will be some time before the final preparations can be met. Stay put boys, it's not like you have any choice in the matter." Grigori chuckled and walked away from the cell, leaving the boys alone.

Genesis glanced at the door and back to Jace, then down to Jace's hands. "Hey Jace, look at what they left on you."

Jace moved his hands up and noticed the leather of his gloves. "Are they really that stupid?" Jace asked in a whisper.

"We have your gloves and my semblance. I don't know if they know about either of them, but we might be able to do something. But…"

"What?"

"Jace… remember what dad said to do if it ever came down to it?"

Jace's heart sunk as he thought about it. "Gods, no…"

"We're gonna have to do whatever it takes… That means we might have to kill."

Jace shook his head slowly in denial. "This is horrible. We're not killers, Gen!" Jace whispered fiercely.

"I know, but these people are experimenting on others," Genesis place his hands on Jace's shoulders as Jace looked down, "If they can do that… then we shouldn't hesitate. I hate having to say this, Jace. But we need to get out of here… and we'll have to kill for it."

Jace shuddered under Genesis' grasp and clenched his eyes shut. Deep down, he knew that it had to be done. The thought of it made his heart tremble and his blood run cold. Their father _had_ told them, _pleaded_ with them, that they had to do whatever was necessary to survive. Jace had never thought he would be in this situation though. He never thought he would ever have to kill another human being. He took multiple deep breaths to calm himself down as his thoughts slowed.

Jace looked up to Genesis and nodded slowly. "If I have to, I will. But if I can get by without it, then I'm not killing."

Genesis nodded. "Alright. Unless we absolutely have to."

* * *

Someone came by and dropped off scraps of food for them, a few small bites of meat left on a bone, barely any water to wash anything down, and a half a scrap of bread each. He set the plate down and slid it under the door when Genesis stood up. He used his semblance and sent a torrent of fire at the man and set him ablaze, then he sent a blast that knocked the man away from the door. He tilted his head toward the wall to the left of the door and Jace stood ready to attack. Genesis waited there and they heard an alarm sounding throughout the facility.

The door slammed open and three guards rushed in with swords in their hands. Jace jumped from the side of the room and sent his right fist into the face of the closest one, then sent his aura through his left hand to activate the burn dust in his gloves and punched another in the gut, causing a blast from his fist that sent him into the wall. Genesis bolted forward and tackled the last man back through the cell door and into the hallway. Jace picked a blade from the ground and followed behind him.

Genesis rose to his feet and stomped the man's face before he picked up his sword. They ran down the halls trying to find an exit while the alarms blared in their ears, bothering them far more than it should. They started hearing gunfire and crashing above them.

"Are we underground or something?" Jace asked. He gripped the sword tighter and bit his bottom lip in nervousness.

"I don't think that's important right now," Genesis looked down the hall and saw multiple armed guards and Kurokuma walking toward them, "We need to find our weapons. And deal with this."

They ran and met the small group head on. One of them swung his longsword at Jace while another did the same with Genesis. They dodged the strikes simultaneously and took them both down easily with slashes to their arms and legs. Another attacked Jace with his sword and he sidestepped it and grabbed his wrist, then stabbed him through the knee. He let go of the blade and grabbed the one in the man's hand before twisting and blocking a strike from another. Genesis used his semblance and sent fire along his blade, swinging flames onto their assailants with each strike. He caught one person on fire and stomped his boot into the last one's knee, breaking it before he stabbed his blade into the man's other leg.

Kurokuma charged and knocked both of them back. He swung his greatsword at Jace and knocked the blade from his hand, then bashed Jace with the pommel, knocking him off balance. Genesis jumped in and sliced at Kurokuma's arm to draw his attention away. Genesis dodged the next strike and swung his leg up to kick the large man in the gut to bend him over, then he brought his sword down onto his back. Kurokuma growled and swung his greatsword sideways at Genesis but Jace stepped back in and kicked the blade away. He started unleashing a torrent of explosive punches with his gloves to Kurokuma's chest and face.

Kurokuma swung at Jace and Genesis blocked it with his blade, the force knocking the blade from his hand. Genesis started unleashing fiery punches into the larger fighter as Jace landed strikes simultaneously. Kurokuma fell to his knee in the attack and slashed his sword across again. Jace jumped over it while Genesis ducked under, then the two resumed their assault. Kurokuma's aura was being whittled down greatly as explosive and fiery punches landed on his face and body. Genesis kicked his wrist and his greatsword fell from his grasp. The brothers grabbed Kurokuma's throat together and lifted, then slammed his body to the ground. The impact created a small crater and they ran, dragging Kurokuma's head through the concrete and creating a long trench. They arrived at the far wall of the hallway and slammed the bodyguard into it with great force. His body slumped to the ground as Jace and Genesis released their grip on him.

A loud crash from above them signaled that something else was attacking the facility. "Do you think someone's up there attacking them?" Jace asked as they hurried down the halls.

"I hope to Oum so. I don't know if we can fight through everyone here." Genesis answered as they came to a stop in the hallway again.

They looked up at the sign above the door they stood in front of and sighed in relief.

"So, we found the armory. Think they're keeping anything good in there?" Genesis asked and put his fists on his sides.

"I don't care as long as my pistol and your sword is there." Jace replied and they stepped into the room.

What they saw was an entire stockpile of different weapons, and off in the corner was Genesis' sword and harness. He went over to it quickly as something caught Jace's eye.

He found a black uniform that consisted of a sleeveless shirt that was lightly armored on the right side, cargo pants with heavy and segmented black greaves, and heavy looking pauldrons.

He went to it and looked it over. _"Hmm, maybe I need something new to wear."_ He thought to himself.

His clothes were stained with blood, dirt, and dust from the days he'd been in that place, so he changed into the top half of the uniform, and it fit him surprisingly well. He looked over the grieves, but they seemed too loose for his liking, so he discarded them.

Genesis turned around after he set his sword on his back and looked at Jace in confusion. "What are you wearing?"

"New armor I just found. I've actually been meaning to make some for my hoodie, but this'll do." Jace answered and searched for his sword.

He didn't see it anywhere, so he went back out and down the hallway to recover Kurokuma's sword. He placed the large blade on his back and walked back to the armory. The blade was half as wide as Genesis' sword and had a darker part going up the middle with lines twirling around a straight, lighter line. When he stepped back through the door, Jace saw a weapon that looked to be a single-edged battle axe that had the body of a rifle, with the blade being on the end of the barrel. He decided against taking it, instead taking various small jars of powdered dust and placing them in a duffle bag he found on a shelf. He also found a pendant of a wolf head next to 'Ebonshot.' It had a thin rope attached to it, so he placed it around his neck as a trophy. One thing was missing though, their scrolls. They searched all over the room, but were unlucky in finding them.

Genesis looked and found something on the wall, then nudged Jace's shoulder. "Jace, you might have a replacement for your sword."

Jace looked at his brother in confusion, then followed to where he stared. "I just got this one. Wha-" Jace went wide-eyed and went to grab it off the wall.

He had seen countless videos and pictures of it, but now he had the chance to take one of his own. It was a shoulder-mounted artillery piece with two side by side barrels that, when fired, retracted back into the body of the gun to load another round into the receivers. He had seen the gun be able to tear through armor plates and trees, the power made Jace tremble when he played the videos over and over. His favorite thing though, aside from the sheer power, was that it could transform into a large battle axe. At the press of a button, the barrels turned and one would retreat into the body of the gun while the body would take the excess cover from the already protected receivers, morph and take the final shape of a heavy, double-sided axe. He noticed where the magazines would go, one in each side for each receiver. When in axe form, the magazines would turn and flatten out against the blades of the axe head, leaving nothing in the way.

The official name for the weapon was " _S.M.A.G.A.R.,"_ short for " _Shoulder-Mounted Anti-Grimm Artillery Rifle."_ It was commonly shortened to _A.G.R._ , for just " _Anti-Grimm Rifle."_ It was made by Atlas and was revealed at a weapons demonstration the year before. They were supposed to be produced and given to a few soldiers holding the line against the Grimm, but they were still experimental with the type of metals used. The videos Jace had watched always said they were in their " _testing stages_ " and were never put in combat situations.

Just recently though, a shipment of the only fifteen that were produced had been hijacked and the plans stolen, leaving Atlas unable to produce more. It also left Jace crushed with the possibility that he may never own one. When the 'AGRs' were first introduced, they weren't for sale yet, but the price would've been upwards of ten-thousand lien a piece. Now with there only being a select few in the world, they could be worth a fortune more.

"I'm calling this, _Siege Breaker._ "

"That was really quick." Genesis remarked.

"Hey, you know I've been thinking on a name for one of these for a year."

Jace inserted both magazines and the weapon made an audible and very satisfying _click_ as rounds were fed into the two receivers. Jace marveled at his luck in finding his new weapon.

In his excitement of finding his dream gun, he nearly forgot that he was trapped in an experimental facility and had been experimented on himself, along with Genesis.

Luck

If they were truly lucky, they would make it out of this place alive. Jace scowled as his mind was brought back into reality. "You find anything else?" He asked Genesis.

"No, I haven't." Genesis answered and walked around the room, eventually finding a locked box on a shelf marked ' _T.B.D.R._ '

"I think I just did, come here."

Jace walked over and read the letters on the box. "You don't think this is one of those, do you?"

"I don't know, but I wanna find out. Open this for me." Genesis requested and twisted the box toward Jace.

Jace nodded and sent aura through his fist, then let off an explosive punch to the lock and broke it. Genesis quickly opened the box and grinned.

It was the weapon that he always had interest in. The one that, if he couldn't make his own sword, he would do his damnedest to obtain and modify. It was a double barrel dust rifle. The charging handle was placed on the back of the receiver instead of in front of it and on the side of the gun, needing two fingers to pull back. The official name for it was " _Twin Barrel Light Dust Rifle_." It was commonly shortened to " _D.R. Two_ "or " _Twin Barrel Rifle_ " shortened to " _T.B.R._ "by everyone other than the people that made it. It was developed by a company called Savage Arms, who manufactured weapons and modifications of all sizes for all types of engagements. The _T.B.R.s_ premiered at the weapons convention in Vale not too long before. But unfortunately, like the _A.G.R.s_ , a large shipment was also stolen but the plans for them were secure and kept safe. That thought made them wonder if someone got inside of Atlas and stole the blueprints for the _A.G.R.s_ from there, because there was no way that Atlas officials would be that stupid to send the blueprints off with a physical shipment.

Genesis picked the gun up and looked it over, checking the chamber and running his hand over the smooth edges of it. It was mostly olive green with black around the edges. "Alright, I actually have a name for this. What do you think of _Twin Fang_?"

Jace glanced at him and thought on it, then slowly nodded. "That sounds like a good one for it. Two barrels, plus it has _twin_ in it's actual name, it makes sense," Jace grinned at Genesis and chuckled, "Now you need to think of one for your sword."

"Yeah, now for that." Genesis muttered to himself.

He grabbed two magazines and inserted them into the gun, then grabbed four extras and put them into Jace's bag. He slung the rifle across his back while Jace took the bag of dust. Jace hefted his newly acquired 'Siege Breaker' and pressed the button near the barrels. He took hold of the barrel that would be the haft, then watched the transformation take place in awe.

Before they left, they saw a few small stacks of lien on a table in the corner of the room. Jace walked over, took it, and put it in his bag.

They turned around to leave just before a guard walked in, looking to arm himself and follow the alarms. Jace had the axe rested on his left shoulder as the the two stared at each other. Jace launched forward, grabbed the man's face, and threw him into the far wall. Before the man regrouped, Jace planted his boot into his face, slamming the guard's head into the wall again, knocking him out. Before the man slumped to the ground, Jace was already resting his axe on his shoulder again.

Jace and Genesis looked to each other and nodded, then walked on.

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: So now we know what they had been kidnapped for, and now they are on their way out. I know it went by fast, but I don't want to dwell on much for too long, depending on what it is. When I wrote this chapter, I started to think that people may think that Haile was a bad parent for teaching them these things at a young age. He just doesn't want them to be caught in a horrible situation that they had no way out of unless they took someone's life. He doesn't want them to get hurt, so now they're fighting for their lives.**

 **Anyways, I hope you enjoyed. See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	4. Chapter 3

**We're Not Monsters… Are We?**

Jace and Genesis walked down the hallways and fought off the guards that tried to stop them. Jace used his new weapon almost flawlessly as he cleaved through their defenses. He cleaved a guard's weapon down and brought the haft up to bash him in the face, then sent the side of the blade into his knees to cripple him. He fell over as another one came up to Jace's side. Jace brought his leg up and kicked him, then turned and sent him back into a wall with a powerful slash. Genesis sent a wave of energy out and blasted the guards back as they charged in again. He sent his aura through the blade and brought it down into the ground, sending out a shockwave and sending the guards down again.

They quickly worked through and defeated the group of guards, then continued navigating the halls as more sounds came from above them. Jace bit his lip nervously as they seemed to go deeper and deeper into the facility rather than toward the exit.

"If you keep biting your lip like that you're gonna start bleeding." Genesis said without even glancing at Jace.

"I can't help it, it's a habit." Jace replied and tried to take a breath to calm himself.

"We'll get out of this," Genesis assured him and looked on down the hall, "But for now, we need to find the lab and see if there's anything there that can tell us what they did."

Jace thought it over for a few moments and nodded. "Yeah, that would be a good start."

They came to a wider hallway and saw a group of guards coming for them before being attacked from behind by Grimm. In their surprise, they were killed by the Grimm as Jace and Genesis watched in shock. "Do you think that's what's attacking?" Jace asked as the Grimm started to come for them.

"I hope to Oum not. That's just gonna make things harder for us." Genesis replied.

The first Beowulf was a young one and lunged at them quickly. Jace quickly cleaved it in the side and sent it to the ground, then another one jumped and clawed at his legs. Jace lifted his leg up to evade the attack and stomped down hard into its head, he finished it by cleaving his axe down into its back. Genesis sent a fireball and caught a charging Beowulf in the mouth. Its head was engulfed in flames as he slashed his sword across and took out the remaining few Grimm.

"You don't think these things came all the way down here do you?" Jace asked nervously and looked down the hall where the Grimm came, "I mean, they might've had them locked up like what they do at Atlas sometimes."

"What, and they escaped in the commotion?" Genesis looked down the hall, then back to Jace and saw his nervousness.

"That's what I'm hoping is going on."

Genesis looked back to where they came and sighed, then turned his head back to their path. "Well it looks like we'll be fighting Grimm either way. Lets just get going."

They continued on throughout the maze of hallways and rooms trying to find the lab where they were experimented on. They both felt something inside them now that they knew shouldn't be. They couldn't train their senses to be this well. From hearing commotion above and behind them easily to smelling blood and dust from multiple hallways away, they knew one thing at least had to have been put into them. DNA of the Faunus.

Then there came the fact that these people had injected their bodies with dust. Jace felt multiple different temperatures and feelings in his skin, reacting with his aura. He felt hot, cold, heavy, light, solid, and fluid all at different times. Jace clenched his right fist and looked at it, seeing the air around it distorted with heat. He shook his head and looked back to where they were going.

At the intersection of two hallways, they came across a horrified scientist and grabbed him by the arms. "Where's the lab!?" Genesis yelled the question at him.

"I'm not telling you rats anything!" The man yelled back as a small group of guards came down the hallway.

Genesis roared and threw the man with all his strength into the group. They were bowled over by the force of him slamming into them as Jace rushed toward them. He stomped his foot onto a few of their heads to knock them out before the rest of them returned to their feet. Genesis flew by and kicked one of them back down to the ground with his boot to the guard's head. He quickly turned and sent the other into the wall with a wave of energy from his sword as the last one was slammed into the opposite wall by Jace.

Genesis found the scientist again and held him up by his throat. "Where is the Lab?" He asked again in a lower voice.

The man hesitated and scowled at the two, then felt rising heat in his throat. "It's down that hall!" He gave up and pointed down the eastern hallway.

Genesis tossed him to the ground and reared his leg back, then kicked him in the head to knock him out. "I guess we have a direction to go."

"It's better than nothing I guess." Jace replied and started biting his lip again.

They walked for fifteen minutes before they came across multiple _occupied_ cells. Occupied was a stretch since all of those in them looked to be in comas. And each of them were in some stage of crystallization.

"God damn…" Jace said quietly and looked away from the first cell.

The woman in it was extremely malnourished and her legs were covered in multicolored crystal. This was why no one had successfully infused dust into themselves. Most of the time, people that had done so were quickly crystallized while they could only watch. Sometimes, like with this woman, they were forced into comas from the stress and pain and were slowly crystallized from there. Anyone who had done so were considered insane by the general public.

The next cell had shown them exactly what laid in store for that woman. The man in the bed was fully covered in crystal. It was a horrible sight to Jace and Genesis, so they kept walking past the cells until they were in the lab.

"Gen… let's take a break for a minute." Jace said as he came to a stop.

"Yeah, sure. You alright?" Genesis asked in concern.

Jace shook his head slowly and fell to a knee. "No… What the hell is going on?"

"I don't know man, it doesn't make any sense." Genesis answered.

"Those people… Gods, they're turning into pure crystal. One of them is already. W-what if that happens to us?" Jace asked fearfully and looked up to Genesis.

"There's really nothing we can do about it…" Genesis admitted as he held his head down, "But what we _can_ do is at least get out of here and back to dad."

"You're right, but Gods… why did it have to be us?"

"I don't know, but we're not starting to turn to crystal. We have that at least. You ready to search?"

Jace stood up and nodded slowly as Genesis caught sight of Jace's eyes. "Hang on a second, Jace." Genesis said and leaned closer.

"What is it?"

"Your eyes… they're red as blood."

"My eyes are what?" Jace asked incredulously and stared at Genesis, "They're red?"

Genesis nodded and saw the disbelief in Jace's eyes. "They match your aura color now, so there's that." He tried to joke but sighed and turned toward the lab.

They looked around the large room and saw multiple pods on one side filled with a type of liquid and two of them had people in them with hoses and oxygen masked strapped to their faces and different tubes and wires attached to their arms and chests. Jace searched a nearby table for anything that can help them. He stopped in his tracks when he started to hear pained moans and screams. The other people that had been experimented on.

"Dust, I feel sorry for these guys." Jace said, unable to stop hearing the pained cries.

"There's nothing we can do for them, the only thing I can think of is… is putting them out of their misery." Genesis replied lowly, looking to the ground and thinking about how they would just starve to death if left there. He regretted that he even said it.

"I swear if I have my way, I'm sending that scientist straight to hell." Jace said as he started to search the table.

He looked through multiple papers and books trying to find anything that can tell them something. A few sheets of paper had drawings of different land dwelling Grimm such as Beowulves, Ursai, Deathstalkers, and Taijitus. As well as aerial Grimm like Nevermore and Griffons, and aquatic Grimm like Krooks and Wretches. Each drawing covered weaknesses and strengths of the Grimm, such as the aquatic ones being susceptible to bolt dust while land based Grimm were more susceptible to burn dust. He took all the papers and stacked them together, holding them in his left hand while he continued searching the tables.

He moved tools and different medical instruments out of his way as his eyes fell on a book. It's title was mostly faded out but he could barely make out the word " _Dust_ " on the cover and spine. He opened it up and the front page talked about ancient techniques with dust. The main topic being dust infusion.

 _'If one without control of their aura attempts this themselves, then they will perish as their body will refuse the dust and they will be frozen in crystal. If one does have control over their aura, and they are careful in infusing the dust into themselves, then in time they shall have complete control in the type of dust they use.'_

Jace read through the words over and over while his mind tried to process it. _"So if this is right, then we should be able to use this dust?"_ He thought to himself and looked at his hand. He saw a bit of frost cover a small bit of the book and he set it down, then put the pieces of paper inside and closed it. He twisted his bag around and put the book inside of it as Genesis called over to him.

"Hey Jace, I found something."

Jace quickly walked over toward him and looked to see a journal in his hands.

"Look at this," Genesis said while pointing at a specific entry, "Looks like he was trying to make some kind of soldier with the experiments. Like someone that could do _anything_." He continued to skim through the pages, but time was short so he took it and put it in Jace's bag.

"We can read it later when we're out of here, we need to leave," Jace said, "They probably built their defenses up top. But… there's one thing we need to talk about."

"Yeah… Yeah, I know," Genesis sighed, "What do we do about _them_?"

"I guess for now, we should look at them…" Jace answered. They went off toward the screams, both conflicted in what to do.

It was a horrible sight. Multiple people, twisted, ugly, deformed Faunus and humans that were the source of the cries.

"My god!" Genesis exclaimed and recoiled at the sight of them. "So this is what he did? How does a man like that even exist?" He continued, revolted by the sight of the prisoners.

"Oh Oum no… Genesis, they're just gonna starve here… t-there's no going around it…" Jace said slowly, "We have to… put them out of their misery. They deserve that at least." He finished as he drew 'Ebonshot.'

"You're right, they deserve peace from… this." Genesis agreed and drew his pistol as well, citing a short prayer asking for forgiveness.

Then, they opened the first cell door, ready to give the prisoners peace.

* * *

One by one, the two brothers went into each cell and ended the suffering of the experiments. From men, women, Faunus, and even children of both races, they were each put to rest.

If they were allowed to live, they would simply starve to death, a very slow and horrible demise. Each of them were horribly disfigured from the countless procedures performed by Grigori and his other scientists. A few of them had the look of bird skulls due to their genes reacting horribly to the genes of a Nevermore or Griffon. Others had larger arms or legs from Ursa genes, some had smaller limbs because of other failed operations.

It took them half an hour to go through the cells to do their grim task. When they were finished, they looked to each other with blank expressions. Another thing they would have to live with for the rest of their lives. It left both the brothers sick to their stomachs with having to take the lives of others. But this was to give the prisoners peace… surely they could be forgiven.

"We should leave now… before anyone gets here." Jace said.

"You're right, we can't get cornered in this place. Lets go." Genesis said and they walked down the long hallway, carrying the weight of what they've done, and what was done to them, to hopefully freedom.

Jace took his sword from his back and replaced it with his axe as he stared blankly down the hallway.

 _"Weird,"_ He thought, _"this hallway seems a lot longer now."_

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: Crystallization. That's a fate worse than death. To just slowly turn to stone. I wouldn't wish it on anyone.**

 **And with this chapter, we have a horrible moral dilemma. Either let the prisoners suffer slowly, or end it for them. Honestly, I would be too scared to do anything at that point. That, added with the disgust of what had been done to them, is gonna eat away at them.**

 **See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	5. Chapter 4

**Road of Resistance**

Jace and Genesis walked through the halls almost aimlessly as they thought over what they did. They didn't know if what they did was a horrible decision or if it was truly for the best for the prisoners. Jace felt his hands shaking as he gripped the hilt of his sword tightly. He felt the guilt wash over him from knowing that those peoples' families may never know what happened to them. He also felt the fear of what would happen if he ever met any of their family members. Jace knew that the guilt would always eat at him and he felt the weight on his shoulders from it.

Genesis glanced back and saw Jace's eyes downcast. "Jace, we can't focus on what we did back there…" He said with regret evident in his voice, "We already have a hard enough time."

"If we do make it out of this, we'll have to tell Ironwood. Gods, how's he gonna take this?"

"Come on Jace… let's just go." Genesis insisted and the two kept walking.

They walked through winding hallways blindingly trying to find out where to go. Every path they took seemed to lead nowhere for them as more crashing and gunfire came from above them. They had high hopes that Ironwood had found them with a battalion of Knights and Paladins, trying to put an end to Grigori's experiments. They were broke from their thoughts when an Ursa Major charged into the intersection in front of them.

It turned and roared at the two brothers as they stepped closer to it. Jace brought _Ebonshot_ out and shot the Ursa in the head as Genesis moved in and swung his sword in a downward arc, scoring a glancing blow to its bone mask. It swiped its paw across and caught Genesis in the leg, knocking him backward. Jace jumped in and stabbed at the arm with his claymore, driving the blade all the way through. He drove the sword upward and sliced his sword from its arm as Genesis sliced at its head again, drawing another gash in its bone. The Ursa dove for Genesis and Jace swung his sword to catch it in the mouth. The blade stopped and the Ursa turned toward Jace quickly. Genesis kicked into the blade hard and sent it slicing into the Grimm's head the rest of the way, leaving its jaw hanging loosely. Jace withdrew his sword and finished it by slicing through its head with an uppercut.

They turned and saw a terrified looking scientist staring at them from the hallway the Ursa was headed to before. He started to run as he noticed the two staring a hole straight through him. Jace broke off into a sprint and threw his sword across the floor, skidding and scraping until it hit the back of the man's feet and knocked him to the ground. He recovered and came back to his feet as Jace slammed into him, driving his shoulder into the man's gut and lifting on the back of his legs to slam him to the ground.

"Where. Is. The. Exit?" Jace asked, spacing each word out in a growl.

The man hesitated as he looked up into Jace's now ruby-red eyes. Jace gritted his teeth and grabbed him across the mouth and lifted, then slammed his head back to the floor.

"Where?"

He weakly pointed down the hallway where the Ursa came from and Jace let go of his face. He sighed in relief before Jace grabbed his throat and lifted, then Jace slammed him into the wall as hard as he could and let him drop to the ground.

He picked his sword up off the ground and they started walking down the halls again.

An hour of walking in silence led them to the long staircase leading up, where multiple bodies of guards were littering the ground.

"I guess that tells us the Grimm didn't escape." Jace stated dryly as they looked around.

"And there goes the hope that Ironwood found us." Genesis took a deep breath and they started up the stairs. Now that they were there, they could hear the crashing sounds more clearly and started hearing the roars of the Grimm.

It sounded like a horde.

"Well Jace, it looks like we'll be fighting our way out ourselves." Genesis said with an edge in his voice.

They looked up and saw multiple forms of Grimm coming down the stairs at them, small and two-legged.

"Creeps… I wonder what else we'll need to deal with." Jace said after he sliced one of them in two.

They fought an uphill battle, literally, cutting Grimm down left and right, and they could both feel something building up in them. It was slow and gradual, like a type of pressure building in their arms.

"Genesis, have you tried using that dust in you yet?" Jace asked. He didn't know how, but they needed to try to tap into that power.

"No I haven't. I guess we should just focus." Genesis answered back, now trying to focus on the dust that now dwells in him.

"If I had time to read through this book I found, I might've found something out." Jace stated and impaled a Creep, then tried to focus as well.

They had to deal with the onslaught of Grimm while trying to access the dust fused in them, which didn't help matters at all.

Something finally came when Jace felt some force going through his arms and built up to his hands. When he cleaved at another Creep with his sword, a large slash of lightning launched out of his weapon and went up the stairs. It was the first time Jace was able to accomplish something like that. As the wave went, it bit into multiple Grimm, slicing them in two before it dissipated.

"Holy hell, I did it!" Jace yelled in surprise.

They fought on up the seemingly endless staircase, then a Beowolf came running down the stairs. But before it got to them, Genesis shot his hand up and unleashed a jagged shard of ice that impaled the Beowulf, sending it back up the stairs.

"Good Oum!" Jace blurted out, witnessing the power of dust that Genesis unleashed. They both started wondering what exactly had been done to them.

With that attack, it bought them a moment of reprieve in this battle.

"It looks like it's not gonna let up… damn it." Genesis said while looking at his hand in awe of what he did.

"Yeah, it figures," Jace replied, "And I bet there's five fucking Dragons and a thousand Ursa too." With that said, they started back up the stairs.

They had finally made it to the top of the stairs and they could see a few soldiers trying to hold a barricaded hallway against multiple Beowulves and Ursai. Three of the men had rifles and five had swords, but the Grimm moved too fast for them and made it over the makeshift barricade.

"This is what these people get when they try to play god." Jace said, shaking his head as he remembered the words of Grigori just before he was put to sleep. "Let's get out of here."

They ran down more hallways, fighting through Grimm and soldiers before they ran into a new looking group of soldiers, with those damned masks.

"White Fang!? What the FUCK!?" Jace exclaimed as they stared at the armed soldiers.

The group consisted of only wolf Faunus it looked like, working well in taking the Grimm down that surrounded them. Jace and Genesis didn't have time to think before Grimm surrounded them as well. They converged on the brothers and met their weapons

As the two were fending off the group of Beowulves, the small team of White Fang killed their opponents with the brutal efficiency of a pack of wolves. But how they killed was different, like they had no regard for each other. As they sliced and shot at the Grimm, it looked more reckless and ruthless than the White Fang they saw on the news. More uncaring of themselves in their attacks. Jace noticed one stabbed over the shoulder of another, barely missing his cheek as it pierced a Beowulf's mouth. Another soldier flung himself forward with daggers, allowing an Ursa to strike him as he stabbed back through its chest.

When Jace and Genesis broke through and finished the Grimm that assaulted them, they had no time to catch their breath when one of the White Fang came at them. He was a smaller man, but moved so fast that the brothers could hardly keep track of him. Only by way of luck was Genesis able to cut him down as the Faunus sidestepped the wrong way and Genesis' sword bit deep into his side.

"Oh gods…" Genesis muttered as he took his gaze up from the body.

It seemed that he was the only one with that speed, as the others in the now-four-man group attacked more slowly because of their larger size. The two brothers could only guard themselves for the time being, waiting for the right moment to strike. Out of desperation, Jace raised his left hand and sprayed steam in the faces of the attackers and created a smokescreen. Wasting no time, he stabbed out through the smoke, connecting with the gut of one man. As he went down, Jace pulled his sword out and sliced at one that he barely saw. Genesis put all of his force into a strike, slicing into his gut and sending him to the ground. He hit the other with a powerful punch, stunning him enough so Genesis could finish him. As the smoke dissipated with the force from Genesis' attack, they could see that it had bought them a break.

"Why… In the… hell… Are the White Fang here now!?" Genesis asked in confusion.

"I don't know, but this emblem doesn't look White Fang to me." Jace pointed out as he ripped the shirt from one man's back.

The beast head of the emblem faced forward, rather than sideways, and had two sets of three claw marks crossed in an "X" formation behind the beast head.

"This emblem is a lot different, I don't remember ever seeing it in the news. And these Grimm masks just look more… evil," He remarked at seeing red along the bottoms of the masks in the shape of jagged teeth, "We need to go."

"Yeah, you're right. Wondering who they are can come later." Genesis replied as they made their way toward the ruined exit.

Through fighting more Beowulves and Creeps, they finally reached the exit and laid their eyes on what they truly faced. A large horde of Grimm had made their way to the area, drawn by the loneliness of the prisoners, general negativity of the place, and no doubt the burning hatred Jace and Genesis felt toward their captors.

From what they could see, there were two Goliaths, four Nevermore, six Deathstalkers, and countless Boarbatusks, Ursai, and Beowulves. They had to take a moment to regroup from the sight of what they faced. It would take every bit of their power to make it out alive. Then they realized what it meant. They had the fight of their lives ahead of them.

And from the complete lack of snow, they were far away from Atlas.

"Man," Jace started, looking to the sky, "This isn't gonna end well."

They rested for another moment before they heard a noise in the sky. Genesis looked in confusion at the source of the sound. "Is that a Bullhead?"

It stopped in the air a small ways behind the horde, and they noticed five people jump out before the Bullhead took off.

Since they weren't noticed yet, they had a few moments to try to channel their newfound power. Jace focused on fire, building his aura and the burn dust to his arms. The fire started to swirl around his arms and hands, then intensified to where it grew painful for him to hold. He yelled and sent the attack out as Genesis did the same. Jace unleashed a huge blast of all-consuming fire towards a large group of Grimm, and Genesis fired a continuous beam of lightning at another group. It was pure devastation. It didn't come without a price though, as pain and shock pulsed through their hands and bodies, making them useless for several moments. With the pain shooting through his left arm, Jace transformed _Siege Breaker_ into its artillery form and opened fire on a Nevermore, bringing it down hard within a burst of shots. They stood in shock at what power they had now and thought to all that had been done to them.

Taken from the camp they set up, all the way to dust knows where in the middle of a forest. They were so young yet here they were, experiments in some mans dream of creating the ultimate warrior, now facing possible destruction in the form of a horde of Grimm, alone. Nothing about this situation was in their favor. Their father was worried about them, they knew, but they had no idea how to make it back to Atlas.

Through his sadness, through his anger, through his suffering, and through his desire to survive, Jace finally discovered his semblance.

He felt his aura welling inside of his body and unleashed his hidden power, making his now ruby-colored eyes glow brilliantly, his body slightly larger, stronger, and he now radiated a faint red aura. Combined with his strength, both natural and from the experiments, his semblance could make him into a force to be reckoned with.

Genesis looked at Jace in awe of the transformation that took place before his very eyes. _"So this is it, huh?"_ He thought to himself. Now Jace looked like he could tear Grimm to shreds with his hands.

Jace looked to Genesis as he formed his gun into an axe again, "I found it." He said and launched himself toward a small, young Deathstalker that was making its way over to them.

The fight didn't last long as Jace jumped on top of it, then chopped into its large tail like a tree, severing it in five strikes. The tail fell and the stinger penetrated its carapace between the plates, stabbing into the flesh. It screeched in pain and Jace brought his axe up in the air. He cleaved downward in between two of the plates and struck deeply into its flesh, then he twisted the axe around and pulled up on it to rip the armor from its back. It tried to throw Jace off of it by twisting around furiously, but Jace held onto the axe until the Grimm tired itself out. As soon as it stopped, Jace pulled with all his strength and the armor came off of the Deathstalker. With a yell, he sent the axe blade cleaving down into its unprotected back, striking its heart. He pulled the axe free and started toward more Grimm.

"It's about time you found it. It's a shame it had to be in a situation like this," Genesis said to himself, now engaged in battle with Ursai, "But it's damn good that you have it now."

They could both see that this is a war they may not make it out of, but they were fighters. They live for a good fight. And no matter what had happened to them recently, this was going to be a damn good fight.

Jace set his sights on a small group of Beowulves and charged for them, his rage building and filling his strength. He cut one in half, then chopped another through the skull. He then raised his hand up and blasted three more with his dust blasts.

Genesis was now fighting against a younger Deathstalker of his own, his sword shimmering in the light of the rising sun with each slash. He activated his semblance too and, combined with the dust in his veins, unleashed more powerful blasts of fire than before. He burned the Deathstalker along with multiple other Grimm before making his way over to Jace.

The horde didn't seem to be dwindling at all. At the moment they killed countless Grimm, but it seemed like they were coming out of thin air. They would destroy this place, no doubt about it, Jace and Genesis knew they had to leave. Their auras were almost gone from the constant fighting, if they depleted completely they would be in even more grave danger.

"Jace, we need to leave, now," Genesis said, meeting up with his brother, "We can't win this if we stay." Jace looked to Genesis and nodded, then they fought toward the edge of the forest. That's when Jace's aura fell.

"Damn it! My aura's had it!" Jace yelled as his semblance deactivated. He'd taken many hits from fighting all of the Ursai and Beowulves after he bolted toward the first Deathstalker, stacked with the constant fighting of escaping their cell. Now they were running out of time and energy.

They started hearing a commotion toward the other side of the facility and they caught a glimpse of a few people fighting through the Grimm.

 _"These must be the people from the Bullhead,"_ Jace thought. One looked to be a man with deep green hair, wearing eyeglasses, a dress shirt and tie, dress pants and shoes. He was using a thermos that spit fire as a weapon, taking small, lightning-fast breaks to take drinks from it..

He looked like Doctor Oobleck from Beacon.

Another was a young girl that was dressed in red and black with a billowing red cloak and had short, dark brown hair with red highlights at the tips. She wielded a huge scythe with ease that also looked to double a powerful rifle as she fired at multiple Grimm.

 _"One hell of a weapon for someone that size."_ Jace thought.

They seemed to have a moments respite, so he and Genesis rested and fell to their knees.

The person they saw next was a girl with long, golden-blonde hair. She was punching Grimm left and right, firing dust shells from the yellow gauntlets on her wrists and blasting Grimm away in every direction. Another girl in the group had jet black hair, wielding a type of katana and a sheath, and was also dressed in black and white. The last person they saw was a girl in a mostly-white dress with long, white hair in an off center ponytail, wielding a multi-chambered dust rapier.

"Well Genesis, what do we do?" Jace asked in exhaustion, drained from endless fighting.

"I think… I think seven people stand a better chance in a fight like this." Genesis replied and steadied his breathing.

"So you're saying we should form a team with people we don't know?"

"Do you have any better ideas, Jace?"

Jace looked up at his brother and shook his head. "No I don't, lets help them out."

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: Finally, they made it outside. And now they have use of the dust in them. And in regards to the big attacks they pulled with the dust, it won't happen again. Only once more in the future. It's something that would wreck their bodies if they did it too often, that's why they couldn't do much for a few moments except for Jace blasting the hell out of a Nevermore with _Siege Breaker._**

 **Also, Jace found his semblance. Now, I know what some people may think. It's not based off of a Super Saiyan from DBZ. I actually based it a bit off of one of the barbarian's abilities in Diablo 3.**

 **And the White Fang… that's not the White Fang. You'll find out who they are on down the line. This won't deal with the Fang overly much, only mentions here and there.**

 **See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	6. Chapter 5

**No Leaf Clover**

The group of five jumped from the Bullhead and made their way closer toward the strange place they came across.

"Doctor Oobleck, why do you think there's a horde of Grimm here?" Ruby asked, staring in disbelief at the numbers of Grimm they had found.

"I don't know Ms. Rose, but it seems as though they are rampaging upon this… facility. Although that brings more questions than answers." He replied while trying to think of any reason why the Grimm were there.

"What d'you think this place is?" Yang asked while checking her _Ember Celica_ , making sure they were loaded right.

"That is what confuses me the most, dear. I don't remember there ever being any buildings here. Not in any reports, or maps." Oobleck replied, bringing out his scroll to report this odd occurrence, but then Weiss called out to him.

"Doctor, look! There's fighting in the buildings!"

They all looked and could see, or rather hear, a battle coming from the strange area. Weiss, Ruby, and Blake brought out their weapons. Ruby's _Crescent Rose_ ,a huge red and black scythe that doubles as a high caliber sniper rifle. Weiss's _Myrtenaster_ , a dust-rapier with a revolving cylinder above the hilt for each type of dust to augment her abilities. And Blake's _Gambol Shroud_ , a chain-scythe with a pistol as the hilt and a larger bladed sheath that also doubled as a weapon itself. Yang always has her weapons out, _Ember Celica_ , a pair of bracers that transformed into gauntlet-shotguns to be fired using her aura.

"Perhaps we should assist them." Oobleck said and they started toward the facility.

When they got closer, they were greeted with the sight of a large blast and a beam of lightning.

"Dust, what was that!?" Blake blurted out.

They didn't know what was going on, but it didn't seem good. This place was obviously the source of extreme negativity, the Grimm wouldn't be there in force otherwise. They then saw, and heard, a piece of artillery take down a Nevermore. Before long, some Grimm in the back noticed them and started toward them.

"Here they come guys…" Ruby said, feeling a lump in her throat as she said the words.

"Don't worry sis, we got this." Yang assured her, hoping to calm her sister.

The Grimm were upon them now and their own battle started, on the opposite side of a horde of Grimm away from possible allies.

Ruby, Yang, and Blake opened up with rapid shots from their weapons, taking down more than a dozen Grimm, while Weiss sent barrages of ice dust missiles toward them, piercing anywhere on their bodies they could stick.

The Grimm drew closer and Yang was the first to meet them, punching and blasting them back with _Ember Celica_. Her right gauntlet connected on the jaw of an Ursa and sending it flying across the area. Ruby unfolded _Crescent Rose_ fully and sliced a few Ursai to pieces while firing at more Grimm simultaneously. She hooked the blade around an Ursa's neck and jumped over to land on its back, then pulled the trigger to pull the blade trough its neck. She used the recoil to fly up in the air, then straightened the blade and brought it slicing down the middle of a Beowulf. Weiss used her glyphs with the burn dust in her weapon to create small areas of fire under other Grimm, then sent out small, icy missiles toward multiple smaller Creeps and Boarbatusks to freeze them in place. Blake shot down multiple more with _Gambol Shroud_ before they reached her, then she used her semblance to leave an explosive afterimage that took out four Beowulves.

They had been fighting for several minutes until Oobleck noticed something in the sky, a person holding his sword up high above him. He saw that the person was channeling dust into the blade, then he unleashed it on they Grimm they were facing. It was a heavy blast of fire that caused the Grimm to pause in their assault, then the person landed in front of them and fell to a knee. Obbleck could tell then that this was a boy around the girls' ages. Another person crashed through the Grimm and stopped just next to the other boy, helping him to his feet.

"Man, you two look like you've been through hell." Yang remarked, greeting the two strangers.

"Oh trust me…" The one in the sleeveless red duster said with a thick stream of blood running down his face," You have no idea."

"Who are you two young men?" Oobleck asked. "And what is this place?"

Jace quickly shook his head as he once again transformed his axe into its artillery form. Ruby looked wide-eyed at the weapon.

"No talk time! Plan, now!" Jace yelled in worry and Genesis put his sword on his back and brought up _Twin Fang_.

"Right! Prepare yourselves!" Oobleck called out, shaking Ruby from her shock as the Grimm started to pass the fire.

The brothers had to be more careful than the team of Hunters that found them, their auras were depleted, and damage they took now could be fatal. While the fresh team of young Huntresses and Doctor Oobleck dealt with the brunt of the force, Jace and Genesis stayed back to back behind them, with Genesis taking down smaller Grimm with _Twin Fang_ and Jace reserving his ammo for the more powerful creatures, such as the Ursai and Alphas. Jace noticed an Alpha Beowulf had made its way around the others and started making its way toward Blake. He jumped forward while his weapon was transforming again and blocked the swipe attempt at Blake, using his left hand against the side of the axe head for support. The large Grimm swiped its claw down to break Jace's defense momentarily, enough for it to swipe again at Jace's gut, drawing a thick red line across it.

"Gah! Damn it!" Jace yelled as he jumped up and planted his boots down into the Beowulf's face, cracking its bone mask and slamming its head to the ground.

It stood and howled in pain as Jace brought his hand up to blast it in the face with an ice shard, causing his hand to clench in pain. He had no time to breathe as a smaller Ursa tried to come at him. It didn't get close before Genesis flew by and sliced the creature's head off.

"This is bad! We need to leave!" Oobleck yelled out and the group started to retreat.

That's when a new looking Grimm broke through the horde. They heard about these, rumors mostly. Armaddons. Heavily armored, stronger and larger than the Beowulves and Ursai, and nothing was known about them. It had four long spikes on its upper back with two on either side of its spine curving backwards over its body. It had four large red eyes with bone plating all around its face and between the eyes was a long, blade-like horn.

It charged at them with great force and everyone except Jace was able to dodge. It hit him with all its force, knocking him back into multiple trees, breaking them down. It ran up to him and breathed fire on him, searing his right arm. Since his aura was drained from all the fighting, his arm was burned and scarred beyond healing. He watched as Genesis shot a large spear of ice out of his hands to impale the Armaddon. Then Ruby propelled herself forward with a powerful shot from her scythe and slashed the beast in the side, stunning it.

Jace struggled to his feet and checked his arm, and it didn't look good. "Damn this place, Damn Grigori, and damn these Grimm." Jace said as they all made their way into the forest, escaping the Grimm.

* * *

They ran for what seemed like forever until they felt they escaped the horde. They set up a small camp in the ruins of an abandoned building, then they addressed Jace's wounds.

He took care of his stomach wound mostly himself, cleaning and disinfecting it before Genesis wrapped it up for him. Genesis had already wrapped his left shin and right thigh up tightly, having taken heavy hits somewhere in the fighting. As Blake was applying ointment to his arm, Jace noticed her bow twitch ever so slightly every time he winced in pain. That could only mean one thing, but he had no place to bring that up.

Blake was finishing up on wrapping Jace's arm when Oobleck turned to them. "I believe now that we may introduce ourselves. My name is Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck. History teacher and Huntsman of Beacon Academy. Who are you two?" He asked the two brothers.

"I'm Genesis Galloway, pleased to meet you all." Genesis introduced himself.

"I'm Jace Storm…" Jace greeted weakly as he brought his left hand up in a wave.

The team of Huntresses-in-training stood in a line in front of them.

"My name's Ruby. Ruby Rose. Happy to meet you both. And uhh… thanks for helping us." Ruby said shyly as she bowed her head.

"Yang Xiao Long," Yang said and raised her hand in a wave, "I'm Ruby's older sister. You've got a story to tell sometime and I wanna hear it."

"Yang you brute! Give them proper time to rest!" Weiss chastised the blonde.

"Yeah, right. Sorry," Yang apologized and rubbed the back of her neck, "Curiosity can get the best of me sometimes."

"Anyways, my name is Weiss Schnee, pleasure to meet you both." Weiss said to the brothers as she took a bow.

"Huh, I thought I recognized those glyphs somewhere." Genesis remarked.

"I'm Blake Belladonna. Thanks for having my back with that alpha." Blake finished and nodded her head to Jace.

Jace could barely keep his eyes open as the introductions were finished.

Oobleck spoke after a few moments of silence. "Mr. Storm, you mentioned someone named Grigori earlier. Who is he?"

Genesis turned and motioned for Oobleck to follow him. "I'll tell you. Let Jace rest for a bit, he's had it worse than me."

They walked, or rather Genesis limped, to the other end of the run-down building while Jace and the others rested and talked respectively. Genesis told Oobleck about how they were out in the forest, clearing their minds and searching for materials to make Jace's weapon when they were ambushed in their camp, knocked out and taken to the facility in the middle of nowhere and experimented on.

He could see Oobleck's curious and pained expression. Experiments with humans, Faunus, Grimm and dust? How could that man have gotten DNA from Grimm, and how would this man have gone unnoticed in the world doing these things?

"I'm sorry you both had to go through all of that. Were you two experimented on?" Oobleck asked.

"Y-yeah…we were. But as far as we know, we only got a few kinds of dust infused in us and we have better hearing and eyesight. I hope that there's nothing else he did." Genesis explained tiredly. The long day of fighting and running was finally catching up to him and he nearly collapsed, but Oobleck caught him.

"You should rest as well. You both seem as though you've had it hard." He said, and Genesis went and laid down to rest for the night.

* * *

The next morning, they were almost ready to move on and ate a bit of food team RWBY had packed. Jace's stomach and arm were still very sore, same with Genesis' legs, but their aura was back so they should be healed in a couple days unless they had to fight more.

"I uh… I don't suppose we're anywhere close to Atlas, are we?" Genesis asked Oobleck.

He gave them a strange look. "Atlas? I'm afraid you're nowhere near Atlas at all. You are a full three weeks away from Vale, but close to a month and a half away from Solitos. That is by vehicle at best. By foot… it would be more than two months. You would need to find a ship of some type to take you across the ocean."

The brothers looked to Oobleck in shock at the realization that they were so far from home. "That far? We really _are_ in the middle of nowhere aren't we…?" Jace said, looking at the ground. "Should've figured that when you said you were from Beacon. Do you know what direction we should go?"

Oobleck gave them the best directions he could. "At the moment, we are close to the ruins of Mountain Glenn, that is where we were headed before we met. So you two should want to head northwest. There should be a small town on the coast with docks, you should be able to take a ship back to Atlas."

"Thank you… for saving us." Jace said while holding his arm, which hurt badly.

"It's no problem guys." Ruby said, "After all, it's what we do."

"Plus it's not like any of us to leave some people hangin' that needed help." Yang added.

They checked Jace's arm and replaced the bandages. Jace knew it would take weeks for the pain of the burns to heal, even with his aura, but their scars would remain as a constant reminder of everything that had happened. That, along with their tainted DNA.

"It was a pleasure to meet you both. And if you ever find yourselves in Vale, come to Beacon and say hello, would you?" Oobleck said while shaking their hands.

"We will. See you all later." Genesis said before he suddenly remembered a pressing matter, "Oh, I wanted to ask, do any of you know Haile Reznor?"

Weiss's head shot up at the name. "Mr. Reznor? He was a Huntsman that visited my father a while ago. Why do you ask?" She asked and saw both Genesis and Jace's faces light up.

"He's our dad, it's been weeks since we've seen him. Do you know how he's doing?" Jace asked, hoping to hear good news. When Weiss's face turned to a more somber expression, they knew something was wrong.

"When I was back in Atlas before this semester, I saw an ambulance outside of the apartments he stayed at in the city. I couldn't see who was put into it. I don't know anything else, I'm sorry." She said, hating to deliver bad news.

Genesis held his head up and nodded. "We'll have to hurry then, thank you Weiss. And thank you all again. Stay safe, and hopefully our roads can cross again on better circumstances."

Blake handed them some ointment for Jace's arm, and some extra bandages. "Thanks Blake. Take care." Jace said to her.

Blake nodded back to him. "You too. Be sure to change that bandage once a day and let your arm get some air."

And with that, they went their separate ways. Team RWBY called the Bullhead back to continue their mission, and the two brothers went on their way home.

Jace had effectively replaced his old sword with _Siege Breaker_ , but had no holder on his back to place it. He had to carry it in its axe form with his left hand, being too weak in his right arm to do much. With the grim knowledge of their father, they walked the path into the forest.

* * *

They covered a good distance on foot before nightfall, then they set up a small area to hopefully relax. Genesis decided to read the journal that they took from the lab that is hopefully destroyed now.

"Damn… If I was thinking, I would've had Oobleck look at this." Genesis shook his head and opened the journal while Jace looked through the book he found.

Jace read through a few pages of it as he rested his right arm close to his body. He tilted his head a bit at some of the uses for the dust inside him.

 _'A being infused with dust is able to use that_ _dust in many more ways than in its powdered form. If used in the correct manner, bolt dust may boost your movement speed while ice and burn dust may give off an aura of their respective element. However, great care must be taken in a person's actions. If the subject uses this dust in a great amount all at once, it can cause temporary paralysis and searing pain for several moments or even as long as a week.'_

"Oh Oum… that's a huge relief." Genesis breathed and closed his eyes.

Jace looked up from the book and saw Genesis' expression. "What?"

The journal contained the data of many failed experiments, and them. Genesis looked to see what was done to them, and saw that they had apparently been infused with Faunus DNA to make them see at night and have superior hearing. He also saw the plans to put Grimm DNA into them.

"He didn't put Grimm in us…" Genesis said before he read on, "He was waiting to see how our bodies did with the dust." His now-emerald eyes scrolled through the pages of the journal before they locked on two words. "Crimson Lance? Who the hell are they?" Genesis asked Jace, who looked to him in confusion.

"Were those the people we saw when we were escaping?" Jace asked in confusion.

"Apparently. It says that Grigori made a deal with the leader of the Crimson Lance to let him have this facility from their control. It apparently used to be a training camp for them. All for his experiments. Damn, how much did he do?" Genesis asked silently as he laid the journal down.

He glanced at it again after a few moments and saw a letter sticking out of it, and he took it and opened it. He read it and put it back in the journal. It had multiple formulas on it for different things, nothing he understood. Then they went to lay down on the hard ground.

"So technically, we stole from whoever these Crimson Lance people are?" Jace asked with sigh.

"Yeah, and they're apparently bad news." Genesis replied and they went to sleep.

The next morning, they woke up and replaced the bandages on Jace's arm. Then they left toward home, unknowing what grave danger they faced in the coming months.

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: I mean it. Absolutely NO OCxCanon relationships. That'll only go to friendship and that's the limit.**

 **And the saviors a have arrived. This is one of the small details that were changed, as you could tell. Instead of going straight to Mt. Glenn, the bullhead circled around the surrounding forests to check over everything, then they stopped when they saw the horde.**

 **Then there's the Armaddon. The first of a few Grimm I thought of. It's the only new one for a long while though. Hopefully I did a good job of describing it.**

 **See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	7. Chapter 6

**The Price Of Freedom**

They traveled for three months before they saw the coast in the distance. They had to stay in a few small villages along the way, using the lien they took from the armory of Grigori's lab to stay for one night and buy food and water for more traveling, also buying more ointment and bandages for Jace's arm. When asked what had happened to them, the brothers had just stayed silent as they looked away from the questioner. They had been walking for a few days after leaving the last village and still had a few weeks to go at their pace, but they decided to take a break for a bit to change Jace's bandages.

"I still can't believe any of this. We have the worst luck don't we?" Jace said while rubbing the last bit of ointment they had on his arm.

"Yeah, it seems that way doesn't it? At least we're on our way home now." Genesis replied, thinking about how Oobleck and the team of girls are doing. "I wonder if they finished their mission."

"I'm sure they did. It's been a few months." Jace said while finishing with the ointment. "Well, I guess I'll have to make due now. Should've thought to get more of this."

"Yeah, you're right. They probably finished it in like a week. Do you think we'll see them again?" Genesis asked as they traveled on, trying to keep his mind occupied.

"I hope so. They helped us out a lot, even though they didn't know us. I want to repay them," Jace replied, "Plus I'd like to actually talk with them without being dogged down by Grimm."

"I'd like to give Oobleck that journal. Maybe see if he can get anything out of it," Genesis said with a sigh, "I just really wish we could've got that scientist and made him talk."

* * *

It was almost dark as they sat down off of the road. They had walked for another couple of days and took the time for a longer break. "So what are you gonna do when we get back?" Jace asked after a few minutes.

Genesis thought on it as he pursed his lips. "After we check on dad? Well, we have to explain all this to Ironwood." He answered and sighed.

"I think we should go get that drink first, we'll need it." Jace said with a weak grin, and they both laughed a small bit. They needed it after what they had been through.

Something moved.

They heard it easily thanks to the Faunus DNA in them. They stood up with weapons ready to defend themselves when they heard more movement. They prepared for the Grimm to assault them, trusting that the damage they had taken in their escape had actually healed. When the figure of a man ran across Jace's vision, he wished it _was_ the Grimm.

"Damn it, we need to go." Jace said and they rushed from the area.

They ran through the forest for several minutes until the area around them was barren and rocky ground. They were on a the edge of a small cliff now and they could see the small coastal village in the distance. Beyond that was just seemingly endless sea. They were still so far from home.

"Oh shit…" Jace breathed and looked outward.

Genesis stared worriedly and turned back around. "We can't fight here! We have to go back in the forest!" He said with urgency and Jace nodded nervously.

They ran back through, running past the mercenaries and striking out at them. Genesis blocked gunshots with his sword as best he could, then sent out a wave of fiery energy through the trees, bringing both soldiers and the trees down. Jace replaced his axe with his sword and brought _Ebonshot_ out, slicing at those close to him and shooting as accurately as he could at those further away. The two brought down two dozen soldiers before making it to a small clearing.

They ran forward but were met with the sight of dozens of mercenaries.

They turned back behind them and saw the same.

On all directions, Jace and Genesis were surrounded. They stood back to back and held their weapons up, Jace threw his sword to the ground, reloaded his pistol, and brought out _Siege Breaker_. He breathed deeply, trying to calm himself before the impending fight. Then, the soldiers started moving in with automatic dust rifles, submachine guns, light machine guns and swords held in front of them. It was more blades than what they'd ever want to see against them. They knew they were in mortal danger but they didn't even know what exactly they faced.

"It seems that you two had quite the journey. It's finished."

The two looked around frantically for the source of the voice. Then they saw him.

It was Grigori.

He walked out into the clearing along with part of his army of mercenaries. He had found them. They were so close to being on their way home, but now it seemed too far away from them.

"You two boys have had quite the run of luck. Escaping your cell and fighting past a horde of Grimm, also finding a group of Huntresses-in-training and a Huntsman to help you," Grigori chuckled, sounding like a cackling crow more than human, "I'll admit, it was rather impressive to witness. But, if only those Grimm hadn't arrived, you would've been subdued and I would've had those girls as well. I had my eyes on them for quite a while before I chose you. They seemed like promising subjects…"

"I could've even collected a bounty for the White Fang deserter," He said lastly and drew confused looks from both of them.

"Ah, you don't know do you?" He asked and laughed at them. "Belladonna. A Faunus, a former Fang member, a traitor to this branch's leader himself. Oh yes, quite the bounty indeed."

"The hell?" Genesis mouthed silently.

"But you two seemed very much more promising than those four," Grigori gave them a sadistic grin.

"I suppose you hope to see Haile don't you?"

That got their attention even more than what he said about Blake, then Grigori motioned to have his men bring someone forward.

The man had medium length, dark green hair and a short beard, both peppered with gray and silver strands. His eyes were a piercing sky-blue color, but one was closed shut after being beaten down. His dark brown pants and gray shirt were torn in multiple places as well and blood covered the top of his shirt from the wound on his head. Around his neck was a silver cross with a snake wrapped around the top of it, held on a chain.

"Dad!" They both yelled as they saw who it was. They activated their semblances at the same time, about to lunge forward at their tormentor.

This was one such time that Genesis was pushed past his anger's limit as blue flames erupted and coated his body.

"You two should listen to me," Grigori said as he raised his palm towards them. One of the soldiers brought a knife close to Haile's side and the brothers hesitated, giving Grigori his moment to speak. "We came to this man five years ago with an offer to take you both as test subjects. Out of his _love_ for you, he refused. When you two went out to the forest those months ago, we paid him another visit and asked where you two were. Of course, I had someone watching you two leave to the forest, but he refused still, so Kurokuma injured him in his anger and he was put in the hospital. It's a wonder the authorities didn't do anything, but they were most likely too busy with White Fang, plus Ironwood is in Vale to oversee the tournament. An inopportune for Haile, I'm sure. Then after consideration between you both and those four girls, we came after you two…" The scientist gave another wicked grin at the two.

"Such a shame. I was ready to pay a small fortune for the both of you, two huntsmen-in-training. Two street rats. Poor Haile would've had enough lien to retire at the time and still have more to spare," The madman said and started to laugh again. He went on for a few moments before he turned to the brothers and scowled, "Your father never betrayed you. But in the end, it amounted to nothing. Kill him."

The soldiers did what he ordered and stabbed Haile in the chest.

" **NO**!" Jace and Genesis screamed in horror, then blasted Grigori with what dust they could, but it was ineffective.

Grigori laughed as the attack hit the soldiers that stepped in front of him to protect him. The three protectors were killed and Grigori laughed even more, until the smoke cleared. What he saw Jace flying toward him. No one helped him this time as Jace struck him with such force that the wind picked up around them. Grigori was knocked back out of the clearing and Jace cut down the soldiers standing next to their father. He grabbed Haile and took him back to Genesis. All the mercenaries were caught off guard by the speed of the event and were hesitant to do anything.

"I… am… Dying?" Haile said weakly, the soldier had missed his heart.

Barely.

"Dad, what happened? What did they do to you?" Jace asked frantically while holding the broken man in his arms, hoping to Oum that they could save him.

"They… beat everything out of me… on the way here… following you. He has a damn army… You two need to run," He said, his breaths were coming in ragged gasps.

"There's nothing you can do, I'm sorry," Haile took one last breath and looked up at his two adopted sons, "I love you both…"

"Please… run."

And then he stopped breathing, leaving them alone.

The horrible realization hit them hard. They had no more family, only each other. Now they had an army of mercenaries to deal with and they had nothing to lose. They both felt the tears coming, but they held them back and turned their attention to the oncoming soldiers.

They stood ready as the mercenaries started their assault. Jace and Genesis stood back to back as they surrounded them. Jace felt the blazing heat from Genesis' semblance, but he didnt care at all as he glared at the men on his side. The soldiers weren't able to get behind either of them because they stayed like that, turning and cutting them down with no signs of weakness. The gunmen were blocked by the constant force of swordsmen and couldn't get a shot on the two brothers. They didn't want to shoot their own comrades in the back, so they waited until there was small openings and opened fire in short bursts, whittling down Jace and Genesis' auras little by little. Only a few could engage them at a time with such a small area to attack. The brothers learned to do this when they had to fight harder in training due to having to mostly fight on their own.

"Duck!" Jace called out and Genesis complied. Jace spun around and took down three men on his brother's side before completing the turn and facing his side again. It confused the mercenaries long enough for Genesis to take down even more.

Genesis lifted his hand and blasted a few men with fire, setting them ablaze and causing them to break away in panic. They ran, running into the others and setting some of them on fire as well, spreading a bit of chaos among them.

Jace cleaved down dozens with his axe and Genesis did the same with his sword. It went on for minutes, almost an hour. Their auras were slowly depleting but they fought on, hoping to keep from taking much damage. Hoping to gain vengeance against them. Jace blocked a sword swing and bashed outward with his axe, knocking one of the attackers off balance and sending him down to the ground, tangled upon his comrades that fell with him. Jace brought the axe around and cleaved at their sides, knocking their weapons away and making contact with flesh.

Jace took a deep breath to steady himself from it all and tried to fight harder.

* * *

It seemed to go on forever. The adrenaline running through their veins was the only things keeping them going at the moment, keeping their tiredness from affecting them. That, along with the burning, _seething_ hatred for everything that happened to them. It was that hatred that propelled their attacks and drew a few Grimm closer. They were shot down easily by the gunmen, but the Grimm weren't the focus of the brothers.

They fought for another four hours toward dawn. Their auras were almost gone, but the numbers of the army have dwindled also. They had done well in blocking most attacks from the few that could engage them, but it was nearing an end. Many have run away, leaving their comrades on their own while those left were brought down by this army of two.

They were almost gone and were slowing in their assault when the brothers' auras drained completely, making them deactivate their semblances. Jace took a hit in his side by the last man, drawing a shallow and painful gash. Jace brought his axe deep into the man's shoulder and ended him. The rest of the swordsmen cleared out and left the brothers alone in the center of the clearing. Unfortunately, that gave the all the remaining gunmen a clear shot at Genesis.

His chestplate was shredded by the huge amount of dust-rounds that burned and tore through his body. They exited his back and were imbedded shallowly into Jace's armor and back.

Jace was shocked when he felt the stinging sensation and turned around, only to see his brother on one knee, clutching his gut as he bled heavily.

"Genesis!" Jace called out and started blasting every enemy he saw now with ice spikes, fireballs, bolts of lightning and anything he could out of rage, each blast making the pain in his arms intensify.

The numbers were dwindling more and more. Jace transformed _Siege Breaker_ to its artillery form and opened fire as he just _screamed_ at them. He fired continuously until they ran or died, and until he exhausted the ammunition of his weapon. They cut their losses and hauled themselves clear of the killing ground. Whatever they were being paid, it wasn't worth it now.

The last of them cleared out and Jace finally collapsed, feeling pain everywhere in his body as everything slowed to a grinding halt. He crawled over to Genesis, who was now laying on his back, motionless aside from his breathing. He got up to his knees and held onto Genesis's arm.

"Oh Gods no, Genesis!" Jace cried out, exhausted, sore, and on the verge of breaking down, "Why did all of this have to fucking happen?"

He was sitting on his knees and noticed Genesis' blood-soaked hand search frantically for his sword. Jace quickly put the sword in his brother's hand and put his own hands to his side. It was a few agonizing moments until Genesis finally spoke.

"I don't think I can keep my promise to you Jace…" He laid almost motionless, weakly clutching the hilt of his sword. His wounds were great. This was his final moment and they both knew it. "I can't think of any way I'd rather go out than fighting with you, man."

Jace sat stock-still, staring in disbelief at Genesis's wounds. "Your promise…? S-so… I-I'm gonna be alone? Gods… how did we end up like this?" Jace said while trying to fight back his tears in a losing battle, "I can't save you… I can't pay you back for all the things you did for me… I don't know what to do… What do I do?" He asked weakly. He couldn't bear the thought of not having his family with him anymore. All their lives, they fought together against anyone who wronged one of them, and now Jace would have to fight his battles alone.

"Listen to me, Jace… after I die, I want you to take my sword…" Genesis said weakly and pulled his sword closer. "I finally thought of a name for it… I'm calling it ' _Standoff_ ,' because we held back an army. My spirit's in this sword, I put my own aura in it… in every step I took with it. And I'm pumping what little I can into it now. I want you to carry it with you. I want you to survive and live your life. Please, find Professor Oobleck, and find the answers to that damned journal…"

Genesis' breaths came in ragged gasps as he reached up and placed his blood-soaked hand on Jace's head, "I just want you to know… this isn't goodbye… it's just… see you later…"

And with those final words, his arm fell to his side and he stopped breathing.

Jace still sat there in complete shock, unmoving like a stone gargoyle. He was like that for several minutes in complete silence. No sounds that usually filled the night cut the silence, no birds chirping or any wind blowing through the leaves of the trees, only deafening silence. Genesis was gone. His father was gone. The crushing loneliness hit him like a train. The emotions built up in him until he finally cried out, tears streaming down his face and trailing through the dirt and blood that was there. He cursed whatever gods that cared to listen and yelled at the shattered moon.

After several minutes he slowly stood up, gripping the hilt of _Standoff_. "I… I promise I'll try to live for you too, Genesis. I'll fight as long as this body will let me. You-"

Jace's words were cut off abruptly by a searing pain in his left shoulder. He dropped _Standoff_ and went to clutch at his shoulder, but couldn't feel anything there.

Then, he looked on the ground.

He stared in shocked confusion. His arm was just severed off of his body like it was nothing.

Jace looked behind him to see who it was that did this, and looked with even more mounting rage in his eyes. That rage kept him from going into complete shock.

It was the giant from the facility. Kurokuma.

It wasn't over for Jace yet, but he was a severely weakened person at this point. He barely fell out of the way of the next swing and hit the ground. Kurokuma was on him before he hit the rough dirt, swinging wildly while Jace barely rolled out of the way. He had to create any type of separation he could, but with one arm now, he was almost hopeless.

Before the giant got too close to Jace again, he pointed his hand at the larger man and shot thick steam at him, cloaking the area in smoke. While Kurokuma was disoriented by the smokescreen, Jace ran to a sword and picked it up. He had one form of defense now, at least. He turned back to the smoke, now seeing Kurokuma slash his sword and using the wind generated to clear his vision. Even in his weakened state, Jace tried to go on the attack. His aura was bubbling wildly from his left shoulder, causing a red mist to pour from it.

Jace didn't know how, but he felt that his aura was regenerating, as if some outside force was pushing him along. Jace clashed with the giant over and over causing sparks to fly, illuminating the area around them.

They threw everything they had at each other, overhand cuts, side cuts, and anything in between. The rising sun shone brightly with both swords shimmering in its glow. The two warriors locked swords, each of their faces mere inches from the other. In the deadlock, Kurokuma spoke.

"I'll admit, I didn't think you'd have this much fight left in you after that battle, I'm impressed. But this is going to end. WITH YOUR CORPSE!"

He used his strength and knocked Jace away, creating room for him to start to charge. Jace felt enough of his aura return to him, so he did the only thing he could do.

Kurokuma was halfway to him before Jace activated his semblance.

The giant met Jace's blade once more, except this time Jace looked deep into the man's eyes with his own glowing, ruby eyes, seeing the hatred and slight fear there.

"I hope the devil tortures you himself."

Jace knocked Kurokuma back with a fiery slash of his temporary weapon. Before the bigger man could recover, Jace dashed forward with greater speed than what the giant could defend against. It felt to Jace as if that outside force propelled his speed, making sure that he could walk away from the battle.

In reality, and unknown to him, his body unconsciously made use of the bolt dust within him.

From all sides, Jace struck Kurokuma with seven slashes from his sword, and the eighth powerful strike sent the giant to his knees.

Kurokuma sat on his knees, limbs useless to him, while Jace walked up to him, ready to deliver the finishing blow. What the former bodyguard said caused Jace to tilt his head.

"Please… have mercy."

Jace stood still for a moment before he shook his head slowly, staring deeply into Kurokuma's eyes.

"No… You deserve to rot."

Jace threw the sword to the ground and brought out _Ebonshot_. He stared blankly while aiming it at Kurokuma's head. When he pulled the trigger, everything seemed to slow down in his mind. The whiplash of Kurokuma's head snapping back, the recoil of the pistol, and the wind that started to blow in the trees. Everything was slow to him at that time. Before he went to back to his fallen family, he caught sight of the man who caused it all.

Jace limped over to where Grigori leaned against a rotting tree, holding his gut. Jace's attack from before got through Grigori's aura and he was bleeding heavily. When Jace reached him, the man started chuckling weakly.

"You… you both destroyed everything I have tried to accomplish."

"Good." Jace growled the word at him.

I wanted-"

"You wanted to make some kind of… freak… You took people away from their families… to use them for your damn experiments!" Jace cut him off, seething with rage, "You ruined families… you ruined my family… _my_ family. " Jace looked to his left side, he tried to speak more but immediately pointed his pistol at the man's head.

"You may walk away from here, but you'll die… just like _them_." Grigori said with heavy emphasis on the final word.

Those words sent Jace into an inhuman rage. He grabbed the man from where he leaned and slammed him into the tree. Then he just punched him, and punched, and punched. His aura kept him from sustaining serious damage to the head, but it still made Grigori feel the pain, exactly what Jace wanted.

Jace yelled with every strike that hit the man's face, punching harder and harder and eventually the rotted tree cracked and broke down. They both fell to the ground with a _thud_ , and Jace recovered. More strikes rained down on the long unconscious scientist, each were now opening cuts on his face and forehead. Even though his body screamed for him to stop, Jace kept punching Grigori until his face was barely even recognizable. He eventually stopped when his arm was almost too numb to even move. Jace shakily went to his feet and found his pistol. He stood over Grigori's unconscious body and aimed his gun at his head.

Jace thought back to all of his memories, all of the happy memories he shared with his family. After all he had been through, the memories were cold and shattered to him now, not even giving him comfort.

Jace pulled the trigger and shot him through the skull.

Then he thought back to when they were in the forest and were tricked and taken. He pulled the trigger again.

He thought back to being experimented on. The Faunus DNA, the dust in his veins, and the thought of the Grimm DNA. He pulled the trigger again.

He thought back to the other people. The men, women and children he and Genesis killed to give peace. He pulled the trigger again.

He thought back to the Armaddon that sent him through multiple trees and seared his arm, and pulled the trigger again.

He thought to the team that Grigori even considered taking, and pulled the trigger again.

He looked to where his left arm should be, and pulled the trigger.

There was hardly anything left above Grigori's shoulders anymore. Jace shook uncontrollably and fell to his knees, crying out in pain and fear and sorrow. He felt something on each shoulder, causing him to turn. He saw nothing. He felt absolutely sick after what he had done and what he had been through. He bent over and vomited violently over the ground. It was uncontrollable for several moments until it just died down and he took control of himself. He stood up and looked around silently for minutes before deciding what to do. He needed to do something for Genesis and Haile. There was no way in hell he was leaving them like this. He had no strength or equipment for a burial, but he had an idea.

He gathered what wood he could find with the little strength he had and set up a large fire pit. He took Genesis's duster and laid it to the side, as well as his weapon and harness, and set Genesis's body on the pyre. He then walked to his father and grabbed his necklace, then placed it around his own neck with the wolf pendant. He picked Haile up and placed him along side Genesis, then lit the funeral pyre.

* * *

For an hour, he watched silently as the flames burned brightly into the morning light. With a deep, sad, and heavy sigh, Jace finally spoke.

"Gen, dad… I hope I can do this. I just don't know if I can though… see you later." He said, then started walking.

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: And that was the start of Jace's origin in this story. Now he just has to find out where to go and what to do.**

 **This was a difficult one for me to write, mostly out of inexperience, because I didn't know fully about what I wanted to happen with Genesis or Haile, or even Jace. That boy's got the weight of his family on his shoulders and the weight of guilt in his mind. He's got a lot to work through**

 **Now we have Jace's journey to find a place to be.**

 **See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	8. Chapter 7

**Wherever I May Roam… It's My Last Journey Home**

Jace lost all sense of direction after the battle. He walked slowly for days with his axe held by the magnetic plate on his back, and the harness with _Standoff_ over that, with _Twin Fang_ and his bag slung under it all.

His right arm was still in severe pain from the burns suffered from the Armaddon. His back was still stinging from the dust rounds that bit into him. His aura wasn't even back yet, even though he had been walking since he left the funeral pyre. If he still had his left arm, he'd guess it would be hurting like hell also.

But what was worse than the pain of his burned arm, the pain in his back, and his lost limb, was the deep pain in his heart.

Jace felt like he was alone in a world full of strangers. He knew no one in Atlas, the only ones he had to spend time with were his teammates who caused him so much grief. And Genesis. He never could make any friends there due to most everyones' attitudes and due to just not being able to talk with anyone much. The other people, he couldn't even see enough to make a connection.

Now, the only people he knew were the team of young girls and Doctor Oobleck he and his brother met four months ago. Or was it five? He couldn't remember now.

Hell, he didn't even know if he could make it anywhere.

He stopped and thought to himself for a moment. _"I have nothing left in Atlas. I don't want to go back right now, too many memories."_

He decided to turn toward Vale, and ultimately Beacon, but he didn't know where he was, so he just picked a direction and walked.

He didn't know where he was going and he didn't care right now. What he did know was that no Grimm bothered him. He knew that they would attack him on sight, but there were none to be seen. They feed off of despair, agony, hatred, loneliness, and all negative emotions.

But at the moment, he felt nothing.

He had grieved for his brother and his father. He cried out in rage at his captors and the Grimm that assaulted them. He even killed the man responsible for it felt nothing in him now, all of it was drained from him from the constant fighting and pain of these past weeks and months. He walked the lonely road wearing his brother's red duster and his sword, his shadow the only thing keeping him company.

If only his shadow could talk to him, comfort him, and turn back time.

He had been walking for days without sleeping or stopping for a rest, wanting to get as far away from that battlefield as he can. When he finally decided to rest, Jace just laid down on the forest floor where he was standing and closed his eyes.

* * *

When he woke up, he was in front of a small, burned out campfire. He recognized the area as the same as when he passed out. Either yesterday or a week before, he didn't know. He looked around and realized there was no one there, but he did see a note stuck to a tree in front of him. He struggled to get to his feet, his arm in severe pain and his whole body sore from his journey from his hell. Jace stumbled to the tree and took the note to read it.

 _'I was out hunting Grimm when I found you. From not even being twenty feet away I could tell you had it bad. I don't know what you'd been through to be armed to the teeth like that, or even have an 'AGR' and a 'TBR,' but I can't question it now. I couldn't get you and take you to a doctor, I had to complete my mission and it would take me a lot longer to take you back. Sorry about that. But I stayed with you for three days and you didn't wake up any at all. I treated your injuries as best I could and I leaned your weapons up against this tree with your bag of dust. I left you some food and water too, just so you don't starve. If I ever see you again, I'll come say hi.'_

It was signed by a man named Qrow, and smelled faintly of strong whiskey.

"Just another person that I won't be able to pay back." Jace muttered and gathered his things.

Jace ate a little bit of the food that the man left him and leaned up to a tree for a few moments. He still didn't know where he was going, but his mind started to clear. From everything he'd been through these past days, his mind was still mostly blank though. He could think more clearly, but he didn't know where to go, or fully what to do.

But he knew he wanted to get to Vale at least, to get answers, find some way to pay the ones back that had saved him, and maybe even start his life over. He traveled for some time and could feel the pain welling up in his arm again.

He looked to his arm and it was wrapped up with fresh bandages, but he decided to rip them off, a tough thing to do with your own teeth, letting his arm get some air. It looked horrible, burned all the way up to the shoulder, and even some of his chest. He tried to channel ice dust through his arm to cool it down, and it worked for a few seconds before his strength failed him.

He sighed and took a deep breath from the effort, then started walking again.

* * *

"Damn…" Jace said as he came across the edge of a cliff.

He looked around him, trying to find out what direction to go, and decided to go left, hoping it was the right direction.

He didn't get very far when a Beowulf reared it's ugly head, sensing a weakened prey. Jace knew he couldn't do much, he could barely raise his own pistol let alone fight again.

The Grimm came at him fast, causing Jace to reel back to try and block the strikes with _Ebonshot._ It swiped relentlessly, most strikes making it past Jace's weak defense and hitting his arm and legs. He was thankful that the outfit he wore had at least some armor on it, although it didn't help with his legs and his left side taking all the damage. When the beast backed off for a second, Jace tried to aim his pistol at its head, but could only raise It up enough to hit its knee. It howled in pain at its lower leg being blown off by the powerful shot.

Jace raised his pistol up more while it was stunned and leveled it at the beast's head, then pulled the trigger.

 _Click_

Another Beowulf came from the side of Jace and knocked _Ebonshot_ from his grasp, and straight off the cliff.

He knew he couldn't hold out.

The Beowulf knocked him to the ground with a powerful swipe, causing Jace's head to smash into the ground. It swung at him again, knocking him further away.

He landed on his back before his vision started to fade. _"I can't even get to Vale to show someone a journal… some Huntsman I am…"_

The Grimm was slowly stalking toward him when he could make out a faint light in the sky. The light shined brighter as a red-hooded figure appeared from it, with one ethereal wing propelling him downward. The last thing Jace saw was the Beowulf's head smash into the ground from the being's fist, then he brought out a distinct looking double-barrel shotgun and killed the injured Beowulf.

As another Grimm walked toward the area, Jace blacked out.

* * *

When he awoke again, he found himself in a completely different area than before. He didn't know what he saw before he blacked out, but it seemed that the _Angel_ had taken him to some remote area of Remnant. He didnt know if it was Anima, Sanus, or even the lack of snow, he sure as hell wasn't on Solitas. He still had his weapons, most of his weapons anyway, and still only had one arm.

Jace could only wish it was some nightmare.

"Where the hell am I now?" He asked weakly to the forest, receiving no answer.

He did the only thing he could do. Walk in some direction, hoping he would find where he wanted to go.

By nightfall, he reached another cliff.

He walked continuously once again for four days before he came across a gravestone.

He could barely keep his eyes open as he stared at it. "Summer Rose? I wonder what happened to you… Hmm, why does that name sound familiar?"

Very weakly, he took _Standoff_ from his back and held it to his head as his brother used to do.

After a moment passed, an even more searing, agonizing pain shot up his arm and through his whole body, all the way to his head. He dropped the sword and tried to clutch his arm in vain with his left hand. Then he felt the pain of his missing limb and cried out before he heard a familiar voice.

"Jace? What are you doing here!?"

He turned around and saw Ruby, Yang, and a man with blonde hair. "Ruby? Y-Yang?" He managed to say as the pain kept building, then the man spoke.

"Wait, who the hell are you?" He asked as Jace fell to his knee, and then passed out from the pain.

"Jace!" Ruby yelled and ran to his side. She noticed the nine wounds in his back, "Oh my Oum…" She exhaled and tried to grab his left arm and turn him over, but she felt nothing.

"What happened Jace? Where's Genesis?" She continued as she finally turned him over.

Yang and the blonde man ran to them quickly and knelt down beside them. "His arm's gone? How?" Yang asked in confusion while looking at Jace's left side.

They could see that Jace was in horrible condition. His hair was matted with blood and dirt, and his body was covered in cuts and even more dried blood.

"Ruby, Yang, who is this boy? And how do you even know him?" The man asked, looking at the girls.

"We met him when we were on our mission with Oobleck. He helped us fight off a horde of Grimm." Yang answered, trying to think about how this happened.

"This doesn't make any sense! They were fine when we left them!" Ruby said, frantically trying to piece together why Jace was somehow magically there.

"Dad, we have to get him to a doctor!" She said, the urgency in her voice galvanizing their father into action.

"Right, you two grab his weapons. We'll get him some help." He said as he lifted Jace over his shoulders. Before they left, Ruby turned back to the gravestone.

"Sorry mom. We'll come back soon, I promise."

* * *

Jace weakly opened his eyes. It looked like he was in someone's bedroom. He moved his head around slowly, eventually seeing the blonde man with his head down, appearing to be sleeping. Next to him were Jace's weapons. His sword and axe were wrapped heavily with cloth, and _Twin Fang_ was slung over the man's chair.

 _Ebonshot_ wasn't there.

Jace remembered that it had been knocked from his hand and sent off the cliff. He remembered when he first found it. It was mostly rusted and nothing in it would work at all. He took it in hopes of obtaining food through _trying_ to be threatening. The few people it worked on probably took more pity on him than anything. He knew there was nothing threatening about an eight year-old boy with a ruined pistol. That was until Haile came along. When Haile taught him how to use his tools and his forge, Jace worked as hard as he could to restore the pistol and improve on it. He eventually made the barrel from fusing gravity dust with the metal in the process of reforging it, and that was the only thing he made for himself.

All of his work as a child was lost now.

 _"Maybe some homeless kid'll find it and use it to survive."_ Jace mused in his head.

He sighed to himself and moved his arm, trying to hold his head but it was wrapped in a thick bandage. The movement caused him to gasp in pain, the sound causing the blonde man's head to snap up.

"Oh hey, you're awake. How're you feeling?"

"I… I don't know… Where am I?" Jace asked weakly, barely able to keep his eyes open. He stared blankly at the ceiling while remembering all the horrible things that happened.

"You're at my house on Patch. I'm TaiYang Xiao Long. You can call me Tai. My daughters told me you helped them out, so thanks for that." TaiYang said.

Jace tilted his head in confusion. "Patch? The last place I remember being was in Forever Fall… on a cliff." He could barely speak at the moment, his voice was barely even audible. Tai had to lean in to hear better. "And the last thing I saw was some… angel coming out of a bright light to kill the two Beowulves in front of me. What… what even happened?" Jace asked more to himself after explaining part of what happened.

TaiYang cocked an eyebrow. "An angel? How much hits to your head did you take?" He asked, getting a glare from Jace.

The way his eyes were sent small shivers down Tai's spine. His right eye was ruby red, almost blood colored, but the other was sky blue, and just glaring blankly.

"Sorry. What did the angel look like?"

Jace had to take a moment to gather his thoughts before answering. "The only things I could tell was that he wore a red hood, had bright armor with gold or maybe silver trimming, had one bright white wing. And he pulled out a heavy looking shotgun, double barrel and pump action I think. Then… I blacked out and woke up on Patch… I guess." Jace said in a monotonous tone and noticed the confusion in TaiYang's face.

"I guess you have a guardian angel then," He joked, "You know where you were headed?"

Jace nodded his head weakly. "Yeah… I was trying I get to Beacon. I needed to…" Jace couldn't finish before he passed out, leaving TaiYang in silence.

"Hmm, Vale, huh?" He said as he stood up. He walked out of the door and was greeted by the worried faces of his daughters.

"Is he okay?" Ruby asked, showing the concern in her voice.

"I honestly don't know. He doesn't even know and he had that thousand yard stare. Whatever he's seen, it ain't good. He passed out again, no telling when he'll wake back up." Their father replied, looking back toward Jace before he shut the door. They walked to the living room where they sat down.

"Did he say why or how he's on Patch? The last place we saw him was near Mt. Glenn with… his brother." Yang said before she looked down.

Tai shook his head. "He said that the last thing he saw was some angel that saved him. I don't know if he was delirious from his injuries or not." He replied, then saw the looks of confusion in his daughters' faces.

"An angel? You mean like that fairy tale?" Ruby asked.

"No, it was more of an old legend than a fairy tale. I have a lot of doubts about this." Tai shook his head and rested his chin in his hand.

"That actually makes the most sense out of anything really, at least that I can think of," Yang said and Tai looked at her in confusion, "I mean, how else could he be here? They were so set on getting back to Atlas to check on their dad."

"Oh no… what happened to Genesis?" Ruby asked and started to feel we eyes welling with tears.

Yang leaned over and wrapped her sister in a hug. She knew that Ruby couldn't help but feel like this for someone she barely knew, especially after wwhat they did. Yang felt that way too about them. Jace and Genesis helped them out from out of nowhere and fought as hard as they could with their low aura levels, and she respected them for it. But, like always, she put on a brave face for Ruby and comforted her.

"D-did he say anything about where he was going?" Ruby asked after a few moments.

"Well, he said he was trying to get to Beacon, but he passed out before he could say why." Tai replied and Yang's heads shot up.

"We could take him to the closest hospital to Beacon when we go back." She suggested.

"You two barely know him, how are you this friendly with him?" Tai asked, looking to both his daughters.

"He had our backs when he didn't know us. We fought side by side and protected each other against that horde. I think he deserves us to be friendly." Ruby said and Tai nodded in understanding.

"Anyways, I can't take him. I'm about to head out on a mission, and you two need to get back to school as soon as the break's over. I'll think of something."

* * *

Jace woke up in a hospital bed. It was a decent sized, single-bed room with a large window off to the right and in front of the bed opposite of the door. He noticed his arm was in another thick bandage. Judging that there is only a dull pain in it, Jace guessed that he had been out for quite awhile.

He looked around the room and could see _Standoff_ and _Siege Breaker_ leaned up in the corner, with _Twin Fang_ slung over the hilt of the sword.

"It's way too damn quiet." He said weakly, remarking about the fact that hospitals were always so silent. He tried to sit up but he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked around further and could see a man with black hair standing there.

"You still need to rest." He said and took his hand off Jace's shoulder.

The man wore a pair of black dress pants and shoes, a white and grey dress shirt with black cuffs and collar, and a tattered red cape. He also wore a necklace, a cross held diagonally by a chain.

Jace settled back down in the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling while opening and closing his hand. "Who are you?" He asked

"The name's Qrow."

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: Welcome to Vale, Jace.**

 **These beginning chapters spanned months at a time, but now it'll slow down a good amount. Now that he's in Vale, things will come together for this to really kick off. And he had to work through what's going on in his mind, I hope I pull that off right. And yes, Qrow is already in Vale. That's a detail that needed to be changed for what I had planned. He hasn't fought Winter yet, considering he had to babysit Jace for while.**

 **I'm gonna try to get some semblance of a schedule figured out soon. I think I'll post it on Mondays, Wednes** **days, and Fridays. Every other weekend, I'll post one on Saturday and Sunday. It'll start next week, hopefully it gives some people time to see if they like it or not.**

 **But, that's when Jace's recovery will start. See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	9. Chapter 8

**A New Beginning**

"So, you're Qrow? I guess I should thank you for helping me in the forest." Jace said after a moment of surprise.

"Don't mention it. Tai didn't tell me any details, only that he wanted me to bring you to Vale for some reason or another. What happened to you anyways?" Qrow asked, taking a seat in front of Jace.

"Me and my… my brother were kidnapped and experimented on. That's…" Jace sighed and shut his eyes, "That's the easiest way I can tell you. If you want to look, there's a journal in my bag over there," Qrow nodded and walked over to the bag as Jace continued.

"It was in March when we were taken… A week after we were experimented on we were able to escape our cell and break out. The place we were in attracted a horde of Grimm, we had to fight through them and the people that took us. When we stepped outside we saw a Bullhead fly over us and five people jumped from it. They attacked the Grimm from behind and we were able to have a minute to rest before we decided to help. It was near Mt. Glenn, I think that's what Doctor Oobleck said."

Qrow's head raised from the journal at the name. "Oobleck huh? And who was with him?" He asked, raising his eyebrow.

"Four girls… I think they were around my age…"

" _Your_ age?" Qrow raised his eybrow at him, "With your beard and hair, you look thirty." He remarked.

Jace sighed and shook his head. He opened his mouth to say something, but Qrow beat him to it. "I didn't mean anything by it. You do look a lot older, though."

"I'm… What month even is it?" Jace asked.

"It's October. The sixth."

"Then I'm seventeen. I missed my damn birthday last month…"

"Happy late birthday, then." Qrow said to try and lighten the mood.

"Nothing _happy_ about it." Jace said quietly.

Qrow shrugged his shoulders. "At least I tried. Anyway, who was with Obleck?"

"Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao Long." Jace answered and could see the small smile form on Qrow's face.

"Well Jace, I'm glad you decided to step in. Yang and Ruby are my nieces. What happened after you met them?" He asked as he went back to the journal.

Jace took a moment to prepare himself as he exhaled through gritted teeth. "I… I kept an Alpha Beowulf from attacking Blake from behind. And a minute later, an Armaddon showed up. It knocked me through a couple trees and burned my arm with its fire breath. Ruby and Genesis knocked it away and we were able to run." Jace paused and closed his eyes, bracing himself to tell what happened after. He started shivering and felt tears build up in his eyes.

"Hmm, you know what, I think I'll let you rest." Qrow said before Jace could speak.

"Oh, alright then… How long was I out, anyways? I don't even know how long I was walking." Jace asked. The last thing he remembered was talking to TaiYang before he passed out.

"Well, from when Tai called me, it's been a bit over a month. I'll be back tomorrow, you can finish telling me then. But first…" Qrow said as he looked to the corner of the room, "How do you have those weapons? They're some of the rarest things to get now."

"I took them from the armory of that place. The dust rifle was gonna be Genesis', until… until he died." Jace said and leaned his head into the pillow it rested on.

Qrow nodded and turned to leave. "Wait a second, please." Jace said, causing the older man to turn.

"What?"

"The reason I came here was to get Doctor Oobleck to look at that journal. Can you take it to him?"

"Yeah, I can." Qrow replied as he picked the journal back up, then turned to the door.

He stopped when he put his hand on the doorknob and turned back to Jace, noticing the boy holding his head down with a near-hopeless look in his eyes. He looked to Jace's arm and hummed as he decided what to do, then left the room.

* * *

Jace couldn't sleep. He was plagued by the thoughts of what happened in that clearing. The dead silence of the hospital room didn't help at all.

He felt his father die in his arms and the image stuck in his mind for nearly two hours. The way his breaths came, shallow and ragged, and how his eyes lost their sky-blue color caused Jace to clench his eyes shut to try and get the image from his head.

Then his mind moved on to the end of the fight. Jace could feel the stinging pain in his back when the bullets bit into him. He saw Genesis kneeling down, blood all over the ground with his torso full of holes.

All of the blood he saw, all of the pain he felt, it was all clear in his mind and he started sobbing uncontrollably. The silence of the room made it unbearable and the tears came and fell freely from his eyes, his body shivered even more. Then, his mind went to after he killed Kurokuma.

The madman that caused it all, the scientist that had used him, the person he brutalized.

Jace yelled out as he thought of that last thing. The scream held his rage at the person that tore his family apart, his sickness for all of the people he killed, and his horror for what he saw after he killed Grigori. There was nothing left of the man's head when Jace was finished.

Jace leaned over the side of the bed and vomited everything from his stomach at the memory. A few nurses came in his room, alerted by the screams, and rushed over to Jace to try and calm him. He was shaking horribly and he screamed again as the nurses held his arm and legs down.

"Mr. Storm! Please calm down!" One of the nurses pleaded with him.

"We'll have to sedate him! Hold him while I get it ready!" Another one called.

 _"Jace!"_

Jace heard a voice cut through his mind and he opened his eyes. It sounded so familiar. It sounded like him.

 _"Calm down!"_ It said and his body actually started to calm in its movements.

 _"Listen… You're the last remnant of your family. Genesis gave you that sword, Haile gave you a chance at your life after you were abandoned. Please… Remember what he always told you."_ The voice pleaded with him _._

Jace heard every bit of what it said. He didn't know if that was his inner self, or if it was something else, but his body finally stopped shaking. He came back to his senses and noticed all of the nurses around him look at him with confused stares, and he realized where it came from. He had calmed down completely without the sedative and he had a look of calmness about him now. The one with the needle stopped and backed off, waiting to see what would happen.

After breathing heavily for several moments, Jace finally closed his eyes and fell asleep. A couple nurses stayed in the room to make sure Jace would stay that way as one went to find a janitor.

* * *

It was close to four in the evening the next day when he was visited again.

"Come in." He said when he heard a knock on the door, with a bit more emotion than in his talk with Qrow the day before.

The door opened and admitted Qrow, Doctor Oobleck, and General Ironwood. Jace's headmaster.

"Hello again Doctor, Qrow," Jace greeted the two, then turned to the other. "And General Ironwood… It's really been a while… hasn't it?" Jace greeted him more quietly.

"Jace? You were one of our most passionate initiates along with your brother, then you both… disappeared?" The General said with mounting concern in his voice.

"What happened to you both? Why, and how are you here?" He continued, but when he saw Jace's gaze tear away and his expression change drastically, he knew that something very horrible has happened.

Jace's looked up to him again with a sad look in his eyes. "We were… kidnapped, General. And Genesis… gods… Gen was killed." Jace said and bit back his tears.

"What…?" Ironwood got out as his shoulders slumped at the news.

Oobleck looked at him in shock at the news. "What happened after we parted ways, Mr. Storm?" He asked lowly.

Jace sighed in sadness. "It was that scientist we told you about. He found us," He replied. He took a moment to prepare himself, hoping to keep his emotions held back.

"He told me about offering dad money for us, and how he refused them. He told us that he had his sights set on Ruby and the others… before he found out about us going out into the forest…"

"The bastard said what!?" Qrow asked furiously, "He planned on taking my nieces!?"

Jace took a moment to answer. "Yeah… it's what he claimed at least." He said and sighed, "After he said all of that, he had our dad brought out, and they… stabbed him… right in front of us. I knocked him back out of the clearing we were in and took him over to Genesis. Dad… he died in my arms… I don't know what the mercenaries waited for, but they started attacking us after a minute,"

"We fought them back after hours of fighting, but our auras were being chipped down and we started losing steam. We fought them off mostly… but then most of them focused their fire on Genesis… and he went down to a knee. The bullets went through him and hit me in the back. I fought for a little longer and they started running. Then, Genesis died and gave me his sword. When I got up, about ready to leave, that scientist's bodyguard came up behind me and cut my arm off… like it was nothing…"

Jace paused and took a deep breath to steady himself, looking at his left side, then continued. "I fought him for a while longer. In the fight, it felt like my aura was coming back, so I activated my semblance and beat him. I… I killed him, while he was on his knees. He begged for mercy, but after everything he'd been a part of… everything he did… I-I did what I thought would protect the future from people like him…"

"After him… I found Grigori leaning against a tree. He said something to me that just… made me snap. I started punching him. Over and over and over until he was unconscious… and I kept hitting him. I-I-I pulled my pistol out and I… I just…"

"Jace, if it's too much, you may skip this part." Ironwood said to him and laid his hand on the boy's shoulder. Jace looked up to the General and nodded.

"I finished it. I… I don't know how many mercenaries we killed… We did what we had to… to try and survive. I regret having to do it, it doesn't sit well with me and makes me want to throw up. Dad taught us that the world might want us dead, and we needed to do what we could to survive if the time came… I just wish that we didn't have to." He saw the three men nod their understanding of the situation he was in.

"It's alright, Jace. Continue when you're ready." Ironwood said.

"Thank you sir. After that, I made a funeral pyre for Genesis and dad. I didn't have any strength to bury them. I said my goodbyes and started walking,"

"Did Qrow give you that journal, Doctor?" Jace asked.

Oobleck nodded. "Yes, but we may go over it once you are finished. Please, continue." Jace nodded and breathed deeply once again.

"I walked… for I don't know how long. I didn't eat, drink or sleep. After a while I just laid down on the ground and closed my eyes. A few days later I woke up and found a note on a tree, signed by Qrow. He took care of me and left me some food, then I started walking again. After another day, I came across a cliff on the edge of Forever Fall, and a couple of Beowulves showed up. I lost my pistol…"

"After one knocked me away, I started to black out again. The last thing I saw there was… an Angel coming out of the sky to kill them. You probably won't even believe that… But after I woke up again, it looked like he took me someplace else. It turned out to be Patch. I don't know why he chose where he did, but I didn't care, so I started walking for a few more days until I was at another cliff. Then I found a gravestone… of someone named Summer Rose. I held my brother's sword up to my head like he used to do, at least to pay a little bit of respect for walking over her resting place. Then an intense and horrible pain shot through my body. Ruby called my name and I turned around. I saw her, Yang, and TaiYang, and I blacked out again. Next thing was I woke up in their home, and I tried to tell Tai where I was headed, then I passed out. Now I'm here. I'm starting to think that the Angel wanted me to find them or something. If he didn't… I would've died."

Jace finally finished the tale and took one last deep breath, calming himself from the emotions running in his mind.

"I… I appreciate the thought with Summer. She was my old teammate… and a good friend," Qrow said with a slight pain in his voice, "Anyways, we can go over that journal now."

"Before we do, what did this Angel look like, Jace?" Ironwood asked.

"From what I can remember, and now that I can actually think, he wore either gold or silver trimmed plate armor, a red hood that put a shadow over his face, and had one bright white wing that was made of… something. It looked like tentacles, it was ethereal. He used a shotgun too. I don't know anything else." Jace answered.

Ironwood rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "A very old legend. There are a few versions of this. One says that sometimes, rarely, if someone was in great strife and on the brink of death, a One-Winged Angel would save them and give them a second chance. The Angels are said to be immensely powerful. I never believed it was true, at least until now," He explained with a bit of lingering doubt in his voice. "In any case, we need to go over that journal with you now.

Jace thought over what the General had said for a moment, then turned to the matter at hand. "O-okay. Doctor, what could you get from it?" Jace asked, turning to Oobleck.

"It explains all of the kidnappings across the kingdoms. And all of the experiments also, every one of them including yours and Genesis' operations. You two were the only Huntsmen-in-training he took. This journal goes into detail about what types of dust he had placed in you both. Fire, bolt, air, and earth. All of the base types." Oobleck explained, looking to Jace to make sure he understood.

"What about Grimm DNA?" Jace asked hesitantly, "Genesis said that he was waiting."

"It says that he was waiting to see if you would handle the dust and Faunus DNA. From the looks of it, you are Grimm free."

"Grimm free… That's something at least." Jace said quietly as he looked to the foot of his bed.

"You have dust coursing through you now, powering you, Jace. Whether it was natural or not, you must learn to control it and push yourself forward no matter what," Jace nodded his understanding before Oobleck turned to leave.

"If you gentlemen will excuse me, I have numerous papers to grade. Take care."

Jace waved his hand weakly at him. "Until next time, sir."

After the door closed, Qrow looked to Ironwood with a grin. "So Jimmy. You decide yet?"

Ironwood looked back and nodded. "I have."

"Decide what?" Jace asked nervously.

"I have decided to have a prosthetic made for you." The General answered.

Jace's eyes widened toward him. "Y-you'd do that for me?"

Ironwood didn't give it a second thought. "Yes Jace, I will. You've put a stop to the kidnappings around the Kingdoms with what you did, even though you didn't know it. It's the very least I could do," Jace breathed a small sigh of relief and Ironwood continued.

"But listen, it won't be easy to get used to a prosthetic arm. Trust me, I know. Not everything can be healed by time." He said as he rolled his sleeve up to reveal his own prosthetic.

Jace looked at him and nodded. He knew it would take countless hours trying to get used to the feeling of a prosthetic limb, but if it meant he could have something back, then he'd be happy.

"I understand. Thank you, sir."

Ironwood nodded to him and turned to Qrow. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention. And Jace, we'll try to get this done soon, so for now, try to rest." He said and left the room.

Jace laid there for a moment before he spoke. "I owe all of you so much, I don't think I can repay you."

Qrow looked at him and laughed. "Since you helped my nieces, I think me and you are even."

"Is that why you brought Ironwood?"

Qrow nodded. "You might be a stranger, but you got a lot of my respect for helping those two," He said with a grin, "What do you plan on doing now?"

Jace looked at him and shrugged. "I think I might switch to Beacon, if I'm able to. I've got another chance thanks to that Angel, and I can't think of anything better now than continuing my Huntsman training, for Genesis and dad's sake."

Qrow looked at him with a slight smile on his face. "Why Beacon exactly? Why not go back to Atlas?"

Jace looked at Qrow, then to the ceiling and shrugged. "I don't have anything at Atlas anymore. And at least I know some people at Beacon, people I shared a battlefield with. Even if it was a short time. Plus, just about everyone back at Atlas are assholes," Jace said as his neutral expression turned into a contemplative frown.

"Huh, you know something Qrow?"

"What?" Qrow asked.

"I'm glad it was us."

"Wait… what?" Qrow asked in confusion.

"That me and Genesis were taken. Only because if he didn't find us, he would've tried for Yang, Ruby, Blake, and Weiss. The only person we had that cared about us was dad. And they have friends here, and family, and they have each other. If he took them, that would've hurt more people than what happened with us…"

Jace paused for a moment and sighed. "It might sound like I'm not mad about all of that. I really am, but… after hearing that he even considered them, it think that I'm content with it, at least for that part." Jace didn't know fully about how to explain it. He wished that Genesis and Haile had survived, but he didn't wish that he wasn't taken.

"I think that Genesis would've felt the same way."

 _"_ _This boy might be as selfless as Ruby…"_ Qrow thought to himself.

"I… I really don't know what to say to that. But, thanks… for putting a stop to all that. I would've tore up everything in my path if Ruby or Yang was kidnapped," Qrow said with a small chuckle, "Just don't mention that guy's original plan to the girls. I'll handle that some other time."

Jace nodded his head in understanding, "Alright. I can't imagine they'd take it well if I just blurted it out."

"Thanks," Qrow said, then there was a small commotion at the door, "I think you might have some company."

Not even a second later, the door burst open and all of team RWBY poured in.

"Hey Jace, hey uncle Qrow!" Ruby said, waving to them both.

"Hey, it's good to see you all again." Jace greeted them.

"We came here as soon as we could. How have you been?" Blake asked, looking at Jace's arm.

"I've been better…" He replied dryly, "I'm still really sore from everything."

"So… what-um… happened to you two?" Yang asked, seeing the sadness in Jace's eyes.

He sighed sadly. "You might want to sit down."

Jace told them of what happened after they parted ways. He made it halfway through the explanation before it became too much to say again, so Qrow took the reigns for him. He could see that they were pained by the news of everything. The two that had helped them when they didn't have to, when they had already been fighting hard before then. It was a short bond that was built, but strong from fighting back to back. And they had been saddened when Qrow relayed what Jace said happened to Genesis.

"Now I should be getting a prosthetic arm, thanks to General Ironwood… and Qrow, really. At least I can have something back." Jace said after Qrow finished, his eyes misty from the memories.

They also went over what was in the journal again, drawing confused looks from the girls.

"So you have… Faunus DNA in you?" Blake asked in confusion.

"Yeah… yeah I do," Jace answered, "I have the senses of a Faunus now because of it all. Night-vision, better hearing and smell, and I got these red eyes from it, I don't know anything else."

The girls looked to each other in confusion. "Umm, Jace. Only one of your eyes is red." Ruby told him.

"Only one?" Jace asked and looked between them, "But… Genesis said both of them are red. What do you mean?"

"Your left eye is blue," Blake answered him, "The color of the sky."

"S-sky blue? That's… the color of dad's."

"Perhaps… when Mr. Reznor passed… a bit of his aura went to you, giving you that eye color," Weiss suggested quietly, "I'm very sorry to hear about everything."

"His aura? So… His soul is still here too…"

* * *

They spent the next hour or so talking with each other. Each girl, at different times, unconsciously stared at his left side. When they noticed they were doing it, they apologized immediately. Jace kept assuring them that it was alright, he couldn't even keep himself from staring.

They talked about small things until they were about to leave. "Hey, is there any way I can talk to Beacon's headmaster?" Jace asked them.

"Yeah, I can ask him to come over here with me tomorrow." Qrow said. With that, they started to leave.

"H-hey Blake, can I talk to you alone for a minute?" Jace asked and sighed.

Blake nodded and looked to her team. "Don't wait up. See you back at the dorm," She said to them. They nodded and walked on, leaving the two alone.

"What did you need, Jace?" Blake asked.

"I… I know you're a Faunus." Jace said quietly and the raven-haired girl recoiled in surprise.

Blake's eyes went wide in shock, "Y-you what? How can you tell?" She asked in a hushed tone.

"When you were wrapping my arm up, I noticed your ears twitching under your bow. I can't blame you for twitching like that… It was painful." He whispered and smiled lightly.

She looked confused as ever now and was filled with worry. "So you have no problems with me? Even with the reputation we have?"

Jace shook his head quickly. "No, I have no problems with that at all. No Faunus has ever done anything bad to me, so I see no reason to hold any resentment. It's not my place to judge a person, or a whole race, especially if a person of that race helped me like you have." Jace finished and they sat in silence for a few moments.

"Thank you, Jace. You're very understanding." Blake said to him.

"Your welcome. I didn't know if the others knew or not, that's why I asked to talk to you alone."

Blake nodded and gave a smile. "I appreciate it Jace. My team knows about it, but Ruby and Yang's uncle doesn't."

"There's umm… one more thing I want to talk to you about…" Jace said nervously.

"What is it?"

Jace hesitated. He didn't know how to say what he wanted to say. "Before my dad was killed, Grigori said something to us, about… about you." He said and hesitated again.

"How would he know about me? What did he say?" Blake asked and tilted her head.

"I guess I should just say it to it out of the way," Jace said and lowered his voice to a very low whisper, trusting she could hear it. "You betrayed the White Fang…"

Blake's eyes went wide and she put her hand over her mouth to keep from yelling. "What?" She said silently with worry.

They were in silence for several moments.

Blake knew she needed to straighten this out with Jace, but she was so shocked that she couldn't speak. Her biggest secret was revealed to someone other than her team, and the worst part was she wasn't even the one to tell him.

"I-I left… because of the violence and hatred that plagues them now…" She said as she matched Jace's whisper, "I didn't want to be a part of that. I _never_ wanted to be a part of it. They didn't used to be that way…" She tried to explain, but she hesitated.

"He said that you have a bounty on you apparently. I just want to warn you, they might know where you are." Jace said and stopped her in her thoughts.

"Wait… you're not going to say anything about me being a part of them?" Blake asked him.

"You left them when they went bad, right?" Jace asked and she nodded. "Then as far as I'm concerned, you were never a part of the White Fang that's here today. And your secret is safe, don't worry." Jace said and nodded.

"T-thank you, Jace. You're a good person." Blake said to him with a smile.

"I try."

"I'm gonna go now. Thank you again for understanding." Blake said and turned to leave.

"Blake," Jace said and caused her to turn, "Just be sure to watch your back." She nodded silently and left him.

Jace finally laid back and relaxed his tired body.

He thought over what had been said earlier when Ironwood, Oobleck, and Qrow were there, from the things in the journal to the old legend that had a great impact on him.

"I can't believe that all of this happened to us." He said to himself.

He had heard the legend, and heard one man in Atlas say that it happened to him. Although Jace thought he was just drunk at the time. Now that he had experienced it first hand, he didn't know what to think, except that he wanted to thank that Angel. He was given a second chance by the hands of fate and couldn't waste it. Before long, he cleared his head and went to sleep.

It was the first time in a long while that he was able to rest peacefully.

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: And now Jace has started his road to recovery. It'll be a while until his mind is completely cleared of its troubles. But for now, he's got his recovery along with meeting Ozpin.**

 **See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	10. Chapter 9

**The Long Road**

At noon the next day, a doctor was tending to Jace, removing the bandages from his arm. There was a dull pain in it with nearly every movement, causing him to wince.

"I apologize for the pain, but your arm will not need to be bandaged after this." The doctor assured him. The name tag said his name was Deckard White.

"It could be worse, I guess." Jace said with a sigh.

Doctor White simply nodded and tossed the used bandages into the trash bin. "You'll be starting a bit of physical therapy today. To get you walking again. With your aura, combined with the fact it had only been a month of inactivity for you, it shouldn't take long."

Jace hummed and went to sit up in the bed. "I don't care if I'll be limping for awhile, I just want to do it."

Doctor White nodded and stood at Jace's side. "When you're ready, try to stand." He requested.

Jace took a few seconds to prepare, then tried to stand. He fell out of balance and fell forward, but the doctor caught him with deceivingly strong arms. "Don't worry. You won't get it on your first try, but you already knew that. How are your legs feeling?"

"Really weak." Jace answered.

"Okay. Lay back down in your bed. I'll have a nurse come in for your therapy. She will massage the muscles in your legs and move them around. It will help strengthen them so you may stand when we try this again. She will be with you shortly." Deckard said, then he left the room.

* * *

After a couple of hours, Doctor White came back in and helped to get Jace walking again. It was agonizingly slow for Jace, but he was walking. Just barely though, and that was with the doctor's help. There was a knock on the door and he helped Jace back to the bed, then he went to answer it. His eyes widened a bit and he stepped out of the way.

It was General Ironwood, along with a cybernetics specialist he brought from Atlas weeks ago. Two droids came in shortly after, carrying a large container. "Hello, sir. How are you?" Jace greeted, sitting back up to acknowledge the General.

"I'm doing well, Jace. And yourself?"

"Barely walking now. And that's with help."

"It's the first step in your recovery. I've gone through the same thing many times," Ironwood said, then he motioned to the specialist. "I've brought a specialist that will take measurements of your body and decide how your arm should be drawn in the blueprints. And he'll also be setting your shoulder up to be able to attach it. For that, you will need to be put under anesthesia." Ironwood said and motioned to the box of equipment they brought.

Jace greeted the man with enthusiasm, hoping to get this done as soon as possible so he can get used to a new arm sooner. "Thank you, sir. I won't forget this."

As the specialist was taking measurements, Jace spoke again. "Before anything serious is done, I should tell you about my semblance. It gives me strength, makes my eyes shine, and makes my body grow an inch or two thicker I think."

The man quickly jotted that last part down in his notes. "I'll take that into account, thank you for pointing it out."

He measured Jace's body and wrote everything in his notes. After the notes were completed, a doctor came in at Ironwood's request and put Jace to sleep while the cybernetics specialist put the attachment to his shoulder. After three hours, Jace was woken up as the specialist gathered his tools.

"Wha…? Did it work? Is it there?" Jace asked, his speech was slightly slurred by the aftereffects of the anesthesia.

"Yes, it is there," Ironwood answered him, "That will expand with your semblance with the way it is segmented. It will take a few days to get everything straightened out, then I'll send an airship over to bring you to Atlas to have the procedure done. I have one question though…" Ironwood said as he looked over to Jace's weapons. "How is it that you came to acquire both an _Anti-Grimm Rifle_ and a _Twin Barrel Light Dust Rifle_?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"They were in the armory. I've always wanted an _AGR_ and we figured that we'd keep them from having them both. Do you think I can get a couple of extra magazines for it somehow?" Jace asked.

Ironwood shook his head a bit. "I honestly don't know. I'll look into it." The General said and then turned to leave. "I'll see you soon, Jace."

"Take care, sir."

* * *

An hour after Ironwood left, Jace felt like he could get up and walk himself, then he went to stand.

After one step, he slipped and fell-face first to the floor.

"Fucking never mind then." He grumbled to himself as he struggled off the floor and set himself back in the bed.

He moved his legs around to get more feeling back in them, and tried again. This time though, he stood and didn't try to walk. He held his hand on the nightstand as he performed a few squats to see if that would help. After ten squats, his legs were quickly tired and he rested on the bed again.

After thirty minutes of rest, Jace tried again and focused more aura to his legs. It was slow and uneasy, and he wobbled from side to side, but he was able to walk on his own now, at least a very little bit. It wasn't without the help from Doctor White earlier though. He stretched his limbs and walked around the room. He immediately brought _Standoff_ closer to his bed, to give him a bit more comfort when he slept. He limped over to the window and looked outward, greeted by the sight of the setting sun.

It was just a few minutes until Qrow and Beacon's headmaster, Professor Ozpin, entered the room.

"Jace, this is Professor Ozpin, the one you wanted to meet." Qrow introduced the two and leaned against the wall.

Jace held out his hand in greeting. "Pleased to meet you."

Ozpin shook Jace's hand. "You as well. Qrow has told me that you have a great interest in attending Beacon now. I would like to speak with you about it. He showed me that journal as well and told me about what you've been through. I must say, it would have been good to have you and your brother here just a few months ago." He finished, drawing a confused look from Jace.

"What happened?"

"While in the ruins of Mountain Glenn, the team of young girls you met, and Doctor Oobleck, stumbled upon the White Fang. They fought them on a train that crashed and broke a way into Vale. The Grimm poured in soon after."

Jace looked in shock at that. Grimm didn't usually attack the kingdoms, did they? But they had a way in this time and capitalized on it. "I'm sorry to hear that. We would've been glad to help."

The two of them looked out of the window for a few moments, marveling at the sunset over the landscape. "In any case. Jace Storm, given what you've done for the Kingdoms by stopping the kidnappings, I've decided to allow you to attend Beacon, if you pass initiation. Once you're healed and ready, of course." Ozpin said suddenly, surprising Jace.

"You have? Thank you, sir. I didn't think I would get an answer that quickly." He said while shaking Ozpin's hand.

"You've more than earned it I believe. I'll discuss it with General Ironwood and we will get your transfer in order. Sometime soon, we'll need to be giving you a tour of the school also. I think I might give it to you myself. Is tomorrow alright with you?" He asked.

Jace nodded quickly. "Yes sir, thank you." Ozpin left and Jace sat down on the bed, resting his legs, now able to smile a small bit to himself about his new life.

Qrow remained in the room and regarded Jace in interest. "You look a lot better than the other day. More calm. The day before yesterday, you just had that blank stare. But now… I don't know, you just look better." He said and Jace turned to face him.

He thought about it for a few seconds. "Honestly, I don't know what happened. The other night, I couldn't sleep. I kept seeing everything that happened to me and I couldn't get it outta my head. The silence just made it worse," Jace leaned back in his bed and gave a sigh. "I started shaking and screaming and throwing up at it all, then the nurses ran in and tried to calm me down. They couldn't, and worked on sedating me. Then I heard something in my head. It told me that I'm the last remnant of my family. I just realized that I need to get through… this," He looked to his left side and sighed again, "And make something of my life. If not for me, then for Genesis and dad." Jace finished and sat calmly as he thought of what happened that night.

"Hmm. Well, I'll see you around." Qrow said and left.

Jace turned his mind to his conversation with Ozpin.

He would be going to Beacon to continue training to be a Huntsman, hopefully as soon as he can. He thought back to his days in Atlas, working with Genesis to train themselves to be stronger, and to just be better in general. He remembered their father, who found them and raised them as his own, teaching them what basic skills they needed. The memories weren't ruined by the past few months anymore, they were healed partly. It still hurt to think about all of that and to know what happened to him. He remembered them anyways and started thinking about the next chapter in his life.

For the rest of the day, he stood and walked around, trying to get better at it before the tour.

* * *

The next morning, Jace rose out of the bed and looked through the window. He was walking easier than the day before, but was still careful about it and limped around a lot. Ozpin left a note for him with a doctor, telling him to get ready as soon as he woke up, and to head over to Beacon. He said he would have someone waiting for Jace outside.

He cleaned himself up and changed into the plain clothes that were left for him. A pair of slip-on shoes, some black sweatpants, a black T-shirt, a gray long-sleeved shirt over that, and he put on Genesis' duster lastly. All of the dirt and dust had been cleaned from it, revealing Genesis' old emblem, a cartoonish looking skull with a curved sword diagonally behind it. The holes were even sown shut for him.

He threw the harness on his back as best he could and placed _Standoff_ on the magnetic plate. He stared through the window for a few moments and then headed out the door.

 _"It feels good to walk again."_ He thought, even though he was limping. When he finally reached the door, he hesitated as he put his hand on it. He hoped that the person was there to escort him, because he didn't know where the hell he was going. As he shook the thought out of his head, he opened the door and stepped outside for the first time in what seemed like an eon. It felt amazing to stand in the sun again without fighting for his life.

"Are you Jace Storm?" Jace was greeted by the nervous voice of a young man around his age. He wore a pair of sneakers, blue jeans, and a black hoodie.

"Yeah, I am. Are you my guide?" Jace answered, greeting the young, blonde teen.

"Yeah. I'm Jaune Arc. Are you ready to go? We'll have to take an airbus, just to let you know."

"I'm good to go. Lead the way" Jace replied and they shook hands.

They walked through the streets toward the airdocks and chatted a little bit to pass the time. "Are you getting out of classes for the day or something?" Jace asked his guide.

Jaune nodded. "Yeah, but I'll probably have twice the work to do Monday. Evens itself out, I guess."

"Well, at least you get a three day weekend."

Jaune grinned a bit. "True,"

"So, where do you come from Jace?" Jaune asked, "Ozpin told me you're not from here."

Jace nodded his head at the expected question. "I'm originally from Atlas. I've been here for a little over a month. Only I've been unconscious for most of it because of my injuries."

Jaune looked at him curiously. "Injuries from what? If you don't mind me asking."

Jace turned to him and lowered his eyes to where his arm should be. Jaune's gaze followed and Jace grabbed the sleeve with his right hand, showing that his arm wasn't there. Jaune recoiled a tiny bit and nodded in understanding. Then Jace took _Standoff_ from his back to hand to Jaune. He looked confused for a moment until Jace slid his shirt and coat off his arm with some difficulty.

"Oh my Oum, what happened?" Jaune asked at the sight of the burns.

"A lot of things, man. If I see you after the tour, I'll try to tell you if you want." Jace said as he put his shirt and coat back on. He put _Standoff_ on his back again and they walked on.

"Y-yeah, sure. We can do that." Jaune replied, very shocked at what he saw.

"You look like you've seen a ghost." Jace remarked at seeing Jaune's pale face.

"What did you expect? I didn't know your arm was scarred like that. And I kinda didn't notice your other arm… umm…" Jaune looked down and away from Jace, "Missing… under your shirt. I don't mean to sound rude, but how do you, y'know, plan on fighting with one arm? With that sword?"

Jace looked at him and placed his hand on Jaune's back. "It's alright. I know it would be hard. But, I'll be getting a prosthetic soon, if all goes right. Thanks to General Ironwwod."

Jaune looked up in surprise. "The General? He's that nice to do that? How'd he decide that so quickly?"

"Apparently, me and my brother stopped the kidnappings happening around the Kingdoms and he wants to reward me. That's when I lost my arm. Plus it probably helps that he was one of my old teachers." Jace replied.

"You stopped those kidnappings? How?" Jaune asked.

"I-I'll tell you later." Jace replied with a slight strain in his voice.

"What about your brother? Where is he?" Jaune asked, unaware of the pain in Jace's mind.

"Later… Please."

After a few moments of walking in silence, Jace turned back to Jaune. "I'll tell you one thing, though. I've been given another chance. I'm grateful that Ozpin is giving me this oppurtunity. How long have you been going to Beacon?" Jace asked.

"Oh, I've been going for a while now, the second semester just started a few months ago. It's been a hell of a ride so far." Jaune answered, thinking back to everything he and his friends have been through.

"I'd say it has, especially with what Ozpin told me yesterday about the breach." Jace said as they arrived at the docks.

They sat down inside an airbus and Jace rested his legs. Jaune continued after a few moments. "They finally caught that Torchwick guy too. He caused it and he was working with the White Fang of all people." He explained, causing Jace to frown in confusion.

"Roman Torchwick? Huh, a human working with the White Fang. Didn't think I'd hear that… again," Jace replied, gritting his teeth at that last word, then stared through the window as the airbus rose into the air.

"It sucks that I missed my birthday because of my injuries." Jace said more to himself while staring out the window.

"Your birthday? When was it?" Jaune asked uneasily while holding his stomach.

"It was last month on the fifteenth. I hardly have anyone to celebrate it with though, I'm hoping that'll change soon." Jace replied, sighing at the thought.

The airbus soon touched down at the top of Beacon's cliff, prompting the two to depart. As they stepped from the ship, Jaune held his stomach tightly while Jace marveled at what laid before him. Beacon Acadamy was a beautiful sight to be certain, with its great archways, courtyard, spires, beautiful and colorful gardens, gushing fountains, incredible view over Vale and the Emerald Forest, and the CCT tower in the middle. Jace hadn't seen anything like it in person before.

"I could get used to this view." He said while catching his breath.

Jaune's stomach calmed and he looked to Jace with a raised eyebrow, "I didn't think you be one to appreciate scenery."

Jace hummed a bit at the statement. "Even someone like me can't deny some beauty in the world."

They walked on for a few minutes until they were in the center of the courtyard. Jace looked around at the buildings for a moment. "What can you tell me about everything here?" He asked before they arrived to the cafeteria where he was supposed to meet Ozpin. "Like all the classes and people?"

Jaune looked around at everything as he thought on a reply, then saw team CRDL in the distance and looked back. "Well, one group of people you should avoid is CRDL."

"What's wrong with them?" Jace asked and glanced over toward the team.

"Well," Jaune rubbed the back of his neck and stared at the ground, "They're really, _really_ horrible people."

"Horrible like how?"

"They're just bullies. They pick on anyone they think is inferior to them, Faunus especially." Jaune regretted having to explain it, but he didn't want Jace to experience it for himself.

"So just a team of racists then?"

"It's not just Faunus. They tried with my friend Ruby before and her sister Yang put a stop to it, they tried with my teammate Ren before our teammate Nora _really_ put a stop to it. They did it to me when I was going through a bad time with my partner Pyrrha…" Jaune looked back up to Jace and shook his head. "If I were you, I just wouldn't pay attention to them."

"Alright. I'll try not to." Jace agreed quickly, then thought of something else. "Since I'm new here, how am I gonna get paired with a team?"

"I don't think you need to worry about that," Jaune remembered back to the other new people he saw before, "The past couple of weeks there's been a few people here for tours of the school. I didn't get to meet them like I did with you. There was one a few days ago, actually."

"That sounds interesting. So, what about the classes?" Jace asked once more.

"Oh, the classes are really good I guess, but really hard. Our history teacher, Doctor Oobleck, talks a mile a minute and I don't think anyone can keep up with him to write notes down," Jaune laughed and shook his head, "He's still a good teacher, just really fast,"

"Then there's Professor Port. He teaches Grimm Studies and can go in depth with all of the known Grimm and their weaknesses and bone plating and stuff like that," Jaune sighed and felt himself get tired just from thinking of it, "But he gets carried away with stories of his battles with Grimm. He apparently took down two Goliaths using ' _a_ _technique passed through the Port family for generations_.' It gets boring after awhile."

"What kind of technique lets you kill two Goliaths single-handedly?" Jace wondered out loud and shook his head.

"I don't know, it's hard to believe if you ask me," Jaune said and continued, "There's field medicine with Professor Peach. She's not there all the time but when she is it's just really weird to learn how to stitch yourself up. Professor Armstrong has Enhanced Dust Techniques where we learn how to make greater use of any dust we have if we needed to, along with other stuff. That's actually the only class Nora pays attention to now that I think about it." Jaune pursed his lips and shook his head. He thought to himself about that for a moment before he shook his head and turned back to Jace.

"Last one for first-years is Geography. Professor Wolfe has all these different maps of areas and stuff and can really go into how the land can be used as a defensive wall or what would be the best area to hold off Grimm. That's all I can tell you really."

"I appreciate it Jaune." Jace thanked him and nodded.

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: Here's the short meeting with Ozpin. I felt that Ozpin would want to meet Jace by coming to him instead of Jace going to Ozpin, especially considering that 1) Jace stopped the kidnappings and 2) Jace is just now getting to walk again.**

 **And now we welcome Jaune into to story. I think he was a good choice to lead Jace to Beacon and explain things. That will be explained in the next chapter, the tour of the school.**

 **See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	11. Chapter 10

**The Shining Beacon**

They finally reached the cafeteria after walking for a few more minutes. Jace looked at the tall, stained glass windows lining the walls as the two walked along the outside of it. Then, they arrived at the large wooden doors of the entrance.

"Thanks Jaune, it was good to meet you." Jace said as he held out his hand.

"Likewise. See you around." Jaune replied.

They shook hands and parted ways. As Jace walked toward the large doors, he was greeted by the familiar voice of a certain blonde girl. "Hey Jace, good to see you walking again. How've ya been?" He turned around and saw Yang walking toward him.

"Oh, hey Yang. I'm alright for now, considering everything. How's the team?"

"We're good, classes are boring but we gotta go. I see that you met Jaune, he looked like he saw a ghost," She said, smiling at the sight, "What's the deal with that?"

Jace shrugged a bit. "He asked about what injuries I had that put me in the hospital. I don't think he knew what to think."

"Yeah, that'll do it. I wonder how long he'll be like that." She said as she looked in Jaune's direction, just in time to see him trip over his own feet.

Jace chuckled quietly and Yang laughed loudly for a few seconds. "Well, I think I should head inside and meet with Ozpin. Tell the team I said hi." Jace said after a few moments.

"I will. See you around, Jace."

Jace finally went inside and saw Headmaster Ozpin standing there talking with a female professor with her blonde hair wwrapped in a bun. As Jace walked further, they looked toward him and Ozpin beckoned him over.

"Hello again, Mr. Storm. How are you feeling?" He asked as Jace approached.

"I'm doing fine, sir. Walking better for sure. How are you?" Jace returned the question in greeting, glad to see him again.

"I'm well, thank you," Ozpin motioned toward the woman he was with, "This is Glynda Goodwitch. She is our combat instructor."

Jace turned to her and held out his hand, "Hello ma'am. Pleased to meet you." He said and she shook his hand.

"Hello Mr. Storm. Welcome to Beacon." She greeted and Jace nodded.

"I'm glad to be here. When does the tour start?"

Glynda looked at her large scroll. "As soon as you are ready. Might I ask, what made you want to come to Beacon?" She asked as she looked back up to him. "Your records show that you are originally from Atlas. Why not return to their academy?"

Jace sighed. "I have nothing there since my brother and my dad died. I also know a few people here, people I shared a battlefield with."

"I'll inform you later, Glynda. It is a long tale that I'm sure he doesn't want to repeat." Ozpin said, stopping the question from Glynda.

"Very well. Shall we begin the tour?"

Jace nodded and they started to show him the facilities.

"Well firstly, this is the cafeteria. You can either come here to eat, take your meal from here to your dorm, or make your own meals in the communal kitchen." Ozpin told him and explained the schedule that the students ate. Breakfast at seven-thirty to eight-thirty in the morning, lunch at noon, and dinner from five to ten in the evening. They continued on to the locker room where the students stored their weapons.

"These lockers are rocket-propelled," Glynda started to explain, then directed Jace's gaze up to the silo-like hatches that could open up, "When you need your weapon in the future and left it here, you may enter your coordinates into your scroll and your locker will be sent to your location."

"Is it possible that I can keep this sword with me at all times?" Jace asked, touching the hilt of _Standoff_. "It used to be my brother's and I don't want it to be out of my sight."

Ozpin looked to Jace, then to Glynda and smiled. "I believe we may allow that, considering the circumstances."

"Thank you, sir." Jace said and they continued the tour.

They went to the classrooms next, talking quietly as not to disturb the classes. "Your teachers will be Professors Goodwitch, Oobleck, Peach, Armstrong, Wolfe, and Port. Ms. Goodwitch oversees combat exercises and sparring, you already know Doctor Oobleck teaches History, Professor Peach teaches Medicine, Armstrong teaches Advanced Dust Techniques, Wolfe teaches Geography, and Port teaches Grimm Studies," Ozpin explained, then turned to Jace, "I also hear you've had first hand experience with an Armaddon. What can you tell us about it?"

"It's a very dangerous one. Stronger than any of the Beowulves or Ursai. It was heavily armored and breathed fire, that's how my right arm was burned." Jace replied and a pain kicked up where his left arm should be. He went to hold his shoulder as he gritted his teeth against it.

"Is everything alright?" Ozpin asked in worry.

"Yeah… I'm okay," Jace answered and shook his head, "Why do I feel pain in my left arm?" He asked them both.

"I believe it is called a phantom pain, it has something to do with the nerves. It is unknown why it happens." Glynda answered.

"So that's something else I'll need to deal with." Jace commented and shook his head.

"Once you are ready, we may continue." Ozpin said, receiving a nod from Jace.

As they walked on, Glynda turned her head to Jace. "Was there anything else you could tell us about the Armaddon?" She asked.

Jace shook his head slowly. "That was all… I'm sorry it's not much."

"This is more than what we have known. Thank you Mr. Storm," Ozpin said and nodded in thanks, then he turned his attention back to the tour. "In addition, there will be occasional sparring matches against your fellow students. We also have an exchange program where students from different academies attend for a period of time. They may participate as well. The Vytal Festival tournament is nearly here also, so it will be even more hectic." Ozpin said and continued the tour.

Next, they arrived at the dorms where Jace would be assigned a room when the time came.

"As I've said, you are allowed to eat either in the cafeteria or your room. We do provide a uniform to wear. You may make small changes to it if you choose to do so. You will share that room with your team and you may move things around and decorate as you see fit. The doors are unlocked by your scrolls. When you heal fully, we will give you and three others the initiation in the Emerald Forest. Until then, you'll have to stay in your hospital room." Ozpin said and finished the tour of the dorms.

"I actually feel fine, surprisingly. I just need to get that prosthetic arm and get used to it." Jace said.

Ozpin looked to him with a raised eyebrow, "Really now? Well then, hopefully we may do it sooner than next year. The others that are looking to join are also special cases. So this should be interesting." He said as they made their way to the next location.

Next on the list was the training rooms and the gym, with the latter being first. There were different types of weights, treadmills, punching bags, and much more. There were a few boxing rings as well for students to train with hand-to-hand combat. After they showed Jace everything there, they walked on to the training room. Glynda explained the process of starting a training session with different bots and targets, starting with the different difficulties and how many bots could come at him.

"These drones can easily be rebuilt and repaired, so our students may go all out on them. Any questions?" Glynda asked, noticing Jace looking over one of the drones.

"Hmm, no. I'm just thinking about how to improve my fighting style. That'll have to wait for a bit though." Jace answered, then the small group made their way to their next destination, the workshop.

Jace could already smell the sparks, dust, burnt wood, and sawdust. He looked around and saw multiple students working on their different armaments as they had spare time from not having a certain class that day. He was still taking in the sights and smells of the area when Glynda started to speak.

"As you can see, our students come here to maintain and improve upon their weapons and armor. We provide basic metals and wood, but different modifications and dust you'll have to obtain yourself. We do, however, allow a monthly allowance of ammunition. Enough to sustain our students if they need it." She looked over all of the students in the area before coming back to attention.

Ozpin smiled at the almost-full area. "I did not expect it to be this crowded. Although with the tournament, I suppose that they want to make sure their equipment is in top shape. Even some students from the other academies are here." He remarked, seeing the different uniforms of Beacon, Haven, and Atlas. The students from Shade didn't seem to have any school uniform.

From the Atlas group, Jace saw no one he knew of. Only two people seemed vaguely familiar to him. One of them was working on his claymore. Jace pushed the thought from his head, something for another time.

"Are you ready to continue?" Ozpin asked, drawing Jace's attention back to the tour.

"Yeah, I'm ready."

To finish the tour, they arrived at the library where several students were gathered, including team RWBY, and Jaune and his team.

"This is where you may come to study, do research, or simply discuss things with other students," Ozpin said and grinned toward RWBY, "Or perhaps play a board game."

Jace looked around at all of the books and released a small breath. "This is an impressive amount of books for a library." He said, eventually catching the attention of some people in the library.

Jace grunted lightly and shook his head a bit. "I don't think they're used to seeing someone with one arm, are they?"

Ozpin let out a short laugh. "No they are not. I believe this concludes the tour. You may walk freely through Beacon if you choose. And since your scroll was lost, we'll be giving you this," He said as he handed Jace a new scroll. "Feel free to call us if you have any questions, or message any of the other students if you obtain their numbers. Later, as Ms. Goodwitch has said, it can also be used to call in your rocket-propelled locker so you can equip your weapon, if you decide to leave it there, that is." With that, the tour was ended.

"Thank you for your time, Professors." Jace said and shook their hands.

The tour lasted the whole day it seemed like. After Goodwitch and Ozpin left, Jace stood there for a long moment to gather his thoughts with his eyes closed.

"Hey Jace, how was the tour?"

Jace opened his eyes, turning around to greet Jaune. "Oh, hey Jaune. The tour was good, I should be able to get around easily when the time comes." He said while looking around. "I see the color returned to your face from this morning. Still surprised?" Jace asked and Jaune let out a small laugh.

"Oh yeah, no, I'm good now. Are you gonna tell me that story now?"

"Yeah, sure. Let's go sit down."

They walked to where team JNPR were sitting and Jaune introduced them to each other. "Everyone, this is Jace. The person I guided here for the tour. He'll be attending Beacon soon. Jace, this is my team."

"That was very kind of you Jaune." The long-haired and red-headed girl of the group said to the blonde boy.

"Thanks Pyrrha," Jaune replied with a smile, "Ozpin asked me to and I had no problem with it."

"Hello everyone, nice to meet you," Jace greeted them all, "I'm about to tell Jaune a bit of a story, I guess you could call it that. Anyone else interested?"

"A story? What kind?" The orange-haired girl asked excitedly.

"It's about why and how I'm here. I promised Jaune I'd tell him after the tour." Jace said while pulling up a chair. "First things first though, I think there should be more introductions.

"Oh come on!" The girl exclaimed while frowning.

"Nora, calm down." The black-haired boy placed his hand on the girl's shoulder. There was a streak of lavender in the front of his hair on the left side. He turned back to Jace and nodded, "Hello Jace, my name is Lie Ren. This is Nora Valkyrie. Pleased to meet you."

"And I'm Pyrrha Nikos. Pleased to meet you as well." Pyrrha introduced herself and Jace raised an eyebrow at the name.

"That sounds really familiar. But I can't put my mind on it right now. Anyways, I'm Jace Storm, and um… don't be mad, but I kinda scared Jaune this morning."

Jaune looked down as Jace said it, shaking his head and grinning. "Yeah, you definitely did. And all you had to do was take your shirt off." He said, drawing confused looks from the people sitting at the table.

"How did you scare him? What's your secret!?" Nora asked, barely containing herself as Ren laid his hand on her shoulder again.

"Calm down Nora. I'm sure he'll tell us." He said, calming his orange-haired partner down.

Jace looked around the table at the awaiting faces and stood up, taking _Standoff_ from his back and leaning it on the table. Then he took off his coat and slipped off the long-sleeved shirt, watching everyone's eyes go wide. They could clearly notice that he'd lost his arm, but seeing it without that side of his body being covered made it seem worse. That, added with his burned arm, made for a very shocking sight.

"I guess that's always gonna happen," He said to himself while laying his coat over the back of the chair. He got his shirt back on and sat down. "Now, when should I start?"

They all stared at him in shock for several moments, trying to find words to say about what they saw. "Any time, really. I think they'll be like this for a minute." Jaune said while looking back up to them. "Hey guys, snap out of it. He's about to start."

"Actually, I might need some help. Both to prove it all and for if I can't continue with it. Hey Jaune, can you go get Ruby and her team?" Jace asked.

"Yeah, sure. How do you know them?" Jaune asked while standing up.

"You'll find out."

Jaune nodded and stood up, then walked toward the table where team RWBY were playing their board game. Blake noticed Jaune approaching and told her team. They all looked in his direction and waved, also looking past him to see Jace.

"Hey Jaune, what's up?" Yang asked before Jaune stopped.

"You guys know Jace?" He asked while looking behind himself at the new boy.

"Yeah, long story." Ruby said.

"What brings you over here?" Weiss asked him.

"Jace said he needs you guys as witnesses. He's about to tell us what happened to him." Jaune said while scratching his head.

They wandered back over to the table where the rest were sitting while Pyrrha finished telling Jace about the Grimm that broke into Vale.

"I would've loved to be apart of that fight," Jace said, looking to his left side, "Although, I don't think I would've been much help now." He finished with a sigh.

Jaune returned with team RWBY and they all greeted each other, settling into chairs around the table. "Well, I have my backup now. Plus if I cant finish it, one of you can." Jace said toward Ruby and her team.

"Are you sure you're comfortable with telling it all?" Weiss asked.

Jace nodded. "Maybe saying it more can help me deal with it better." He said and received a nod from her.

"As long as you're good with it," Jaune told him, "We won't force you to."

"Don't worry. It's alright," Jace assured him, "Now… I guess I can get started."

* * *

Jace was finally finished with his story after an hour. He was actually able to finish it himself, but barely. He could see that they were still confused from it all, especially about the Angel. But that's why he wanted Ruby and the others to confirm his story.

"So that's what happened to your brother? I don't know what to say." Jaune said, leaning back in his chair as he clasped his hands in his lap.

"Don't worry about it, Jaune. I'm still grieving for him, but I need move forward with it all. They'd both want that from me," Jace replied.

"Wow, that sounded like an amazing fight." Nora said, still wide eyed from when Jace told them of his and Genesis' escape and the fight with the mercenaries.

"If it was anything different, I'd agree." Jace said to her.

"And you come from Atlas originally, like Weiss?" Pyrrha asked, looking to platinum-haired heiress.

"Yeah, but I decided to come here. I know more people here than over at Atlas. The only people I really knew and cared about there was Genesis and our dad," Jace said before anyone could ask why he didn't go back.

"I should probably head back to the hospital and rest for tomorrow." Jace said and rose from his chair. "Hopefully General Ironwood can get me over to Atlas for that arm soon. It was nice meeting you all."

"It was nice to meet you as well." Pyrrha said, standing and bowing her head to him.

"Do you need any help getting back?" Jaune asked as he rose from his seat

Jace thought on it for a second. "I shouldn't… but I'd appreciate the company if anyone would want to come with me." He replied, looking around to see if anyone would take him up on his offer.

Yang stepped forward with a grin, holding her hands outward and to her sides. "We could all go. It's a Friday after all."

Ruby smiled and chimed in. "Yeah! It'll be nice to get out of here for a while. Who's with us?"

Before Jace knew it, everyone decided to go with him. "Well, I didn't expect that." He said while putting on his coat.

 _"I can tell I'm gonna like it here."_ He thought to himself.

He took a deep breath as he looked around the table. These people barely knew him, yet they were already willing to walk with him and talk like they've been friends for years. "I just wish Genesis was here." He said with more than a bit of sadness in his voice.

Ruby retrieved their board game and they walked out of the library to the courtyard. There, they saw Ozpin and Glynda talking with Doctor Oobleck. When Ozpin caught Jace's eye, the Headmaster motioned for him to come over. He went while the others stayed and talked with each other.

"Hello again Mr. Storm. How do you like Beacon so far?" Oobleck asked while looking past Jace to the group he left the library with.

"I like it. I can tell that this is a good place for me to be." He answered with some enthusiasm in his voice.

"That is very good to hear," Ozpin said with a smile. "I also see you've already made new friends. How did you manage that already, without even attending yet?" He asked before taking a sip of his coffee.

"Honestly, I don't know sir. They only just met me, but they're willing to walk with me on my way to the hospital…" Jace truly didn't know what to think of what was happening. He was so used to most of the people he met being cold and disinterested with him. Now, there was a team of students who were friendly as soon as he met them. "I know fighting with Ruby, Yang, Weiss and Blake started a bond between us, I had their backs and they saved my life. But Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, and Ren? I haven't done anything to earn their trust, but they just welcomed me with open arms even after I told them about what I've been through, like we've known each other forever." Jace said, trying to figure this out and keep his emotions under control.

Ozpin placed a reassuring hand on Jace's shoulder. "That is because they are all good people, Mr. Storm. I'm sure you told them of your origins with no small embellishments or flat-out lies. You told them truthfully of every single thing that's happened to you. They trust you because you trusted them with that knowledge,"

"When I asked Mr. Arc if he wanted to escort you here this morning, I told him a small part of what you went through, being in a coma and just a soul in need of a friendly face, and he agreed to do it. He wanted to help and to meet someone new who seemed to be on his own in a foreign Kingdom. He wanted to help any way he could because it is in his nature. You helped Ms. Rose and her team along with Doctor Oobleck stave off a horde of Grimm without a second thought. They, in turn, took you and took care of you for a night, treating your wounds and feeding you. And, as you said, that has built that bond between you. Mr. Arc and his team see that bond and they see now that you helped their friends greatly, which in turn started a bond between you and them. Those are the strongest bonds that can ever be forged. I can see you becoming a great Huntsman in the future along with those two teams. You assist people without thinking twice, you didn't give up on your way here, and you are a fighter, a _warrior_ , that doesn't dwell on what happened in the past, you focus on what is happening in the moment. And you already have one great deed under you belt. That is why I want to have your initiation as soon as possible, when you and the other three are ready. Just remember what you fight for. I wish you luck, Mr. Storm."

Ozpin finished his speech and Jace was left trying to find his voice. He looked at Ozpin for several seconds before he nodded his understanding.

"T-thank you for that, sir… And thank you for this opportunity you're giving me."

Ozpin simply nodded his head. "I believe your friends are waiting." He said, looking past Jace to see the others standing and talking with one another.

He turned around and looked at them with his eyes stinging a bit. "I think you're right, sir. It was good to talk with you. Take care, everyone." Jace said and walked toward his newfound friends.

"You as well, Mr. Storm."

When Jace made his way back to the group, they made their way to the airdocks. "What was that about?" Jaune asked, looking back to Ozpin and the others.

"They just wanted to ask me how I liked Beacon so far." He replied as he smiled to himself at the words that Ozpin gave him.

* * *

"So Jace, do you plan on making a weapon, now that you have Genesis'?" Ruby asked after the stepped from the airbus, looking at _Standoff_ on Jace's back.

"Honestly, I'd like to, but I really don't know right now. I'll have to think about it for a while. I'd actually like to make a new pistol sometime to replace my old one." Jace said, then looked to Ruby. "What about your weapon, Ruby? I never really got the chance to notice anyone's weapons back then. What can you tell me about it?"

Since they didnt have their weapons with them, they she had to explain it. Ruby grinned anyway and wasted no time going into detail with Jace about _Crescent Rose_ , talking about everything from the blade to the trigger and explaining how she is one of the only two to use a scythe that large. She also explained how she uses the momentum of the shots to propel herself in any direction, all the while calling it ' _her baby_.'

Next was Weiss, telling Jace about the revolving dust chambers on _Myrtenaster_ , and telling him how she uses the dust in the chambers to enhance her glyphs for speed and propulsion, as well as the elemental effects it enhances.

Blake explained to him how she uses _Gambol Shroud_ to fight and subdue enemies with the deceivingly strong ribbon.

Yang explained that she can also propel herself forward with the powerful blasts from _Ember Celica_.

Jaune told him of his simple sword and retractable shield called _Crocea Mors_ , an archaic weapon often obscure in the world of high tech weaponry.

Pyrrha had a similar weapon, but only _very_ slightly. _Miló_ , her sword, and _Akoúo_ , her shield. The main difference was that _Miló_ could turn into a spear, or a rifle.

Ren had simple bladed machine pistols called _Stormflower_.

Nora told of her warhammer that doubled as a grenade launcher, called _Magnhild_.

"Wow, I really don't want to get on anyone's bad side." Jace remarked about all the weapons.

They arrived at the hospital after an hour or so and walked Jace to his room."Well, I appreciate the company guys. Thanks for your time to listen to me." He said while opening the door to his room.

"No problem Jace, it was nice to get away from school for a bit." Jaune replied, "We should hang out again sometime."

They all gave their scroll numbers to Jace in case he wanted to talk with anyone, or meet up somewhere. "Does anyone know where I can sell some dust? I need some lien and a change of clothes." Jace asked while waving his hand to his bag that still had the dust in it.

" _From Dust Till Dawn_ reopened a while ago," Ruby said, remembering the fight that caused the shop to close. "I'd be happy to take you there tomorrow."

Jace sighed in relief at the suggestion, "Thank Oum, I don't want to lug that stuff around any more than I have to. Thanks Ruby. I kinda doubt I'll get a lot out of what I have though." He said, hoping to have some spending money after hopefully buying some new clothes.

Weiss looked at him and cocked an eyebrow. "How much do you have? They may be willing to pay more just to get their stocks built back up."

Jace showed her what dust he had, which somehow seemed more than what he remembered. "Think this would get me a decent amount? I mean, you should know, being a Schnee and all." He said while placing the jars on the windowsill.

"You'll be compensated well, I should think. Perhaps… close to one thousand lien since you have six full jars." She replied as she laid the last jar back down.

"That sounds greater to me than you might think. Thanks Weiss."

When they all left him, he took his coat off and draped it across a chair, then sat at the window for a bit. He needed to rest his legs from all the walking.

Jace thought about how he could change his fighting style to something more suiting for his new abilities. He had to make full use of the dust infused in him. He brought out his new scroll and searched the CCT for each type of dust. From what he had learned from the journal, he was infused with every type of dust there is. All that is discovered at least. He could also use the combinations as well. He knew he could blast out fire, ice, steam and lightning from his hand. The other types and combinations were air, gravity and earth.

One particular article he read talked about how someone had made a solid blade out of pure dust with his aura. That was one thing that stuck in his mind from what he had read. He'd need to practice with these powers in order to be effective and tie it in with his fighting style, but that could always come later. For now, he laid in his bed and tried to go to sleep.

It will be a long year for him.

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: Yes. Yes it will be a long year.**

 **So that's the tour out of the way and now Jace has some new friends in JNPR. The next chapter is a long one, one of the longest I'm pretty sure. That's gonna be the whole day in Vale and a few chance meetings. Plus clothes shopping.**

 **Also, feel free to leave a review. I'd like to hear what you guys think about it, all of you that read it, that is.**

 **See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	12. Chapter 11

**AN: Whoa. It's actually _the_ longest I'm pretty sure. Just over 10,000 words. Umm… Have fun reading!**

 **XxXxX**

 **Dawn Of A New Day**

Jace had a strange dream that night. All he saw were a bunch of jumbled images flashing by. He couldn't focus on one image before it was replaced with another. It was all very confusing to him. From somewhere behind him, he heard a muffled voice directed towards him. Then, the most haunting image he had ever witnessed flashed in his mind and stuck, turning it into a nightmare.

Genesis and Haile. Both were there, but their eyes were gone, replaced by complete darkness. Haile had a hole in his chest and Genesis' torso was completely covered in blood and holes. Their eye sockets started to bleed as Haile melted into a black puddle, then Genesis held his hand out toward Jace. The areas around his eyes started swirling with black veins as his mouth started to open, showing a full set of sharpened teeth.

 _"Fall with us…"_ He said and everything turned to ash.

Jace bolted awake with a scream and sat straight up in his bed.

He looked fearfully around the room as his eyes darted back and forth. He calmed his body from shaking as best he could and took several deep breaths. He could see that the sun was up now so he got out of bed and got dressed. He decided not to wear his duster, it seemed to be a hot day out which seemed strange since it was in the dead of Fall at the time. He wore the black sweatpants and T-shirt, and had his two necklaces around his neck. He looked in his bag and saw his spaulder that Haile had made for him, with his cross emblazoned on it. Jace sighed and went to set it on the nightstand near the bed. He walked back over to his things and took the jars of dust from the window sill, then set them back in his bag.

He sat down and brought his scroll out, deciding to send Ruby a message. _'Hey. When are you gonna be here?'_ He sent it and waited as he heard the sound of a ringtone near his door.

"Right now, Jace!"

Jace jumped from his seat and yelled as he turned around at the sudden entrance. Ruby's smile turned into a worried frown at seeing his eyes, both were wide and seemed to radiate fear. "Are you okay? I didn't scare you, did I?" She asked.

Jace put his hand on the window sill as he, once again, took deep breaths. He gulped and sighed. "K-kinda. Yeah… I just woke up from a bad nightmare not long ago…" Jace slowly sat himself back in the chair and closed his eyes. "I guess… I don't know… I've never done that after a nightmare before."

"I guess it _was_ really bad… I'm sorry…" Ruby apologized quietly.

"It's okay… Just give me a minute, please." Jace requested. Ruby nodded and took a seat near him as Jace rubbed his head slowly. He closed his eyes again and within a few seconds, his mind showed him that image again. His eyes flew open and he sighed.

"I don't know if I'll have a good day or not, now." He said.

"Don't worry, Jace. You'll get through it." Ruby assured him as a small dog entered the room. It walked over to Ruby and rubbed up against her leg.

"Huh… Who's that?" Jace asked as she reached down to pet the dog. At the sound of Jace's voice, it looked at him and tilted its head.

"He's mine and Yang's dog, Zwei, Ruby answered as Zwei walked slowly over to Jace, "Dad mailed him to us before our mission with Oobleck."

Zwei looked up at Jace and he reached his hand down slowly to pet him. He scratched the small dog behind the ears and his eyes closed in pleasure. "I guess that's a better start to my day," Jace said just before Zwei jumped up in his lap. From where Jace was leaned back in the chair, Zwei's front paws were on his chest and his back paws were on his stomach. Jace stared for a moment before he started to grin. "Y'know, a dog's never gotten in my face like this."

"Zwei! What are you doing?" Ruby said loudly toward the dog. Zwei plopped down on Jace's chest and let out a huff of air.

Jace reached his hand back up to start petting him again. "Does he always do this with new people?"

"No, he doesn't. He's usually more behaved," Ruby's eyes brightened up at a thought, "You know how they say dogs can sense our emotions?" She asked.

"I've heard something like that before."

"Maybe he sensed that you were scared and he's trying to make you feel better?" Ruby suggested.

"Well, it's kinda working." Jace admitted.

Ruby looked to the corner of the room and couldn't take the curiosity anymore. She turned to Jace with an excited gleam in her eyes. "Jacewheredidyougetthose!?" She asked in a single, frantic breath, looking excitedly over to _Siege Breaker_ and _Twin Fang_. "I wanted to ask you sooner but we were fighting things then you had to leave and then last night we had to go so I get to ask now!"

Jace took a second to decipher all of that before he answered. "We just found them in the armory at that place," Jace explained, "I've always wanted an _AGR_ since they first announced them. I called it _Siege Breaker_. You can hold them if you want."

She nodded and went over to the weapons. The first she grabbed was _Siege Breaker_ and _s_ he easily hefted the gun, having had hours upon hours of training with swinging her huge scythe around. She quickly found the button on the side and transformed it to its artillery form to look it over.

"Oh man, I've always wanted to at least see one of these! You're lucky to have one!" She said as she switched its forms again. She set it down and then grabbed the smaller rifle.

"That was gonna be Genesis' gun," Jace said, "He always said that if he couldn't make his sword then he'd get one of these to modify himself. When he found it, he called it _Twin Fang_ because of the two barrels." He finished as she looked over the gun with a wide grin.

"Oohhh, Savage Arms is one of my favorite companies. I got a new bolt for _Crescent Rose_ from them a while ago. It's lasted for a long time." Ruby looked over both barrels and magazines, then ran her hand along the edges. "These are some really rare weapons now after what happened. Don't ever sell them." Ruby said as she stared down the sights.

"Don't worry, I won't. _Siege Breaker_ is at least going in my locker though, for when times get to-"

With no warning, Zwei jumped off of Jace and started barking.

"I think he wants us to hurry up." Jace said as Ruby set _Twin Fang_ back in the corner.

"Yeah, probably. We should head out." She replied.

They left the room and walked down the hall to the door, where they saw Qrow standing.

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby yelled while running to him, then latched onto his arm.

"Hey kiddo, how've ya been?" He asked, looking at both her and Jace.

"I'm good, nothing changed since a few days ago. I'm gonna take Jace to _From Dust Till Dawn_ so he can sell his dust. Wanna come?" She asked, still clutching his arm as he raised her up.

"I guess I have a bit of time to spare. How're you feeling, Jace?" He asked and nodded to Jace.

"I'm feeling a lot better than when you first saw me."

Qrow chuckled at that. "Yeah, you definitely look better too, considering the state you were in." He said while setting Ruby back down on the ground.

They walked out the door and went toward the airdocks as the sun gave off its warmth in the unusually warm Fall weather. "Don't you think you should wear something to cover your side?" Qrow asked, looking at Jace.

"If people want to stare, then they can. It won't change anything. If they want to try something with me, then maybe my sword would be enough to tell them _no_." Jace replied.

* * *

The airbus they took touched down at the landing pad in the commercial district. The small group disembarked and started walking toward their destination.

"So Qrow, you're a fully fledged huntsman, right?" Jace asked, looking to the older man.

"Yeah, I am. Why?" He replied before taking a drink from his flask.

"I just wanna ask, how is it? I never thought to ask my dad before… all of that."

Qrow looked at Jace with a neutral expression. "To be honest… it's something else. It can take you to places you've never been before. You meet people, learn new things, stuff like that. But make no mistake, it can be hell. It's a job where you can die at any time, to any little thing. You never really know when it'll end."

Jace looked to the ground and gave a sigh. "I wonder how much more of a hell it is than what I went through."

They walked a little further until they finally reached _From Dust Till Dawn_. A simple dust shop with its sign over the door and two large windows in the front. "I remember seeing this place in some article on the CCT now. It was getting robbed. Then I saw that the owner said a young girl in a red cloak with a huge scythe was the one that stopped it." Jace said, looking curiously at Ruby.

"Yeah, I remember that," Ruby said, a little embarrassed at the memory. "That's how I was accepted into Beacon so early. Who knew that stopping a small robbery would get me that?"

"I'll wait out here. You two can go on in." Qrow said before he leaned himself against the wall.

"All right, we'll see you in a bit." Jace said while opening the door to the shop.

Both him and Ruby walked in and noticed that the shelves were halfway empty of dust. "They're getting there. Last time I checked, they barely had anything." Ruby said while looking at the counter.

"I doubt the breach helped any." Jace remarked.

"No… it really didn't."

Jace looked around and then walked to the counter where he was greeted by an elderly man with gray, balding hair, with his remaining hair being at ear-level going down and slightly outward.

"Hello young man, what can I do for you?" He asked and Jace took the bag off his back.

"Hello. I was wondering if you would want to buy some powdered dust that I have with me." He took all the jars out of his bag and laid them on the counter while the man looked at him, confused.

"Hmm, I'll gladly buy it… But why do you want to get rid of it?." The old man asked while looking over the jars, "It seems that a young Hunter could really use this."

"I honestly have no use for it right now. I also heard you still need to restock your supplies from that robbery a while ago, so we figured you would be interested." Jace said, looking anxiously at the man.

"Well, it's true that we do need more dust for the shelves. You don't seem like you're from here, right?"

Jace sighed slightly, "Yeah, that's true. I used to live in Atlas, but I don't want to get into details."

The shopkeep simply nodded his head in understanding. "Let's get this dust off your hands."

The old man worked with measuring the contents of the jars while Jace and Ruby looked around the shop. Jace looked through the back section of the store, searching through different pistol parts while Ruby skimmed through weapon catalogs.

"Hey Jace, here you go," Ruby said behind him and he turned. She held out an open catalog of weapon parts in the pistol section and he looked through it. "You might be able to find some good parts for a pistol in one of these sometime." She continued.

"Huh, thanks. I'm gonna get this and look through it." Jace said and handed it back to her to look through.

* * *

Jace was offered close to one thousand lien for the dust in his possession due to the shop's higher demand, just like Weiss said.

"Thank you, sir. I didn't expect to get this much for it." Jace said, placing the lien in his pocket.

"It was a pleasure doing business with you, young man. Come back anytime." The shopkeep said while putting the jars of dust behind the counter.

"Take care." Jace said as he shook the man's hand.

"You kids have a good day."

He and Ruby walked out of the store and met back up with Qrow and Zwei, then walked back toward the airdocks.

"So, how much did you get?" Qrow asked.

"I got about a thousand Lien. I'm really happy about that."

Qrow looked in mild surprise. "Really? That _is_ something to be happy about. What're you gonna do with it?"

"I'm not gonna go crazy with it, that's for sure. I'm gonna get some new clothes, some stuff to make a good outfit for myself, maybe get parts for a new pistol, and maybe sometime get myself a dog." He he said the last thing while looking at Zwei with small grin, who was following behind them.

The little dog cocked his head to the side and barked at the mention of his name.

"And I know I'm gonna do something else with it too." He said to no one in particular, only thinking of his father and brother.

* * *

"I think I should probably get the clothes shopping out of the way. Where's the nearest shop?" Jace asked as he heard three sets of footfalls behind them.

"I know, it shouldn't be that far off from here." Ruby said.

"Good. Do you feel like going clothes shopping Qrow?" Jace asked.

Qrow let out a small laugh at the question. "I really have nothing better to do."

They walked for a little ways further until the continued sound of footsteps behind them grated Jace's nerves too much. "Alright, why the hell are you following us?" He turned and asked, although he felt like he knew the answer.

The three people froze in place for a few seconds before the leader regained composure. "I'll make it simple. Give me your money you got from the dust shop, before I take your other arm." The man said with a grating voice, holding a sword very poorly in his hand.

"I guess my sword wasn't enough," Jace mumbled to himself and shook his head.

"Let me guess, you think I'm an easy target just because I have one arm, Right? Honestly, I've fought worse than you." He said to the three men, then looked to Qrow and Ruby.

"I guess you might see me fight, Qrow."

"It looks that way." Qrow replied with a small grin.

Ruby looked like she was about to draw her scythe on them. Her hand was slowly drifting back to _Crescent Rose_ and stopped when Qrow laid his hand on her shoulder. "Let's see Jace handle it, I'm really interested to see how this turns out." He told her. She cast a worried glance over to Jace, then calmed down. After all, Jace was a Huntsman-in-training and these were just three poorly armed thugs from the looks of it.

That didn't stop the little dog named Zwei from barking furiously at the thugs, though.

One thing Jace never took into account was balance, as he was a crippled fighter with only one arm. He thought quickly on how to handle this, then remembered the book. He took a deep breath and tried to focus earth dust to his left side. It started to work after a few moments, then Jace started to say something, just loud enough for the three thugs to hear. "Well, that all depends on if they actually do something."

They heard him and started forward. _"I can't use Standoff with one hand, I'll have to do something else."_ Jace said thought to himself before he focused bolt dust to his legs and launched himself forward. He arrived quickly and kicked the knee out from under one of the men.

They were stunned by the speed of the attack. Before they could react properly, Jace was already striking at another one's body, encasing his fist in earth to make his strikes hit harder. The last one was able to swing his sword but had it caught in Jace's stone hand. Jace then heated the blade with white-hot fire, melting the cheap metal before he punched the man in the face, burning and sending him flying into the side of a building.

Jace backed off a bit to check his hand. It burned, not in the sense that it was in fire, but it felt as though it had been in the sun for longer than it should have. Even then, it was not enough to keep him from defending himself. He looked back to the thugs as they regrouped. "Do you still think I'm an easy target?" He asked them.

The two men that were left hesitated before the leader charged at Jace. He swung at Jace with a wild side attack, aimed for his left side. Jace let the sword strike him, seeing the grim satisfaction in the man's face turn to panic and confusion in an instant as the blade bit into the stone and aura.

Jace brought his knee into the man's gut and caused him to double over. He cried out in pain before Jace brought his elbow to the back of the man's head, sending him to the ground.

The last man came at Jace wildly, swinging his small mace in rapid swings that Jace easily dodged. He caught the mace and twisted the man around, ripping the mace from his hands. Jace slammed the mace into the man's stomach, then brought it down into his back, knocking him to the ground. It wasn't hard enough to cripple him, but enough to knock the wind from him.

"Do you still think I'm an easy target?" Jace asked again, this time drawing an answer from the man.

The man growled as he caught his breath. "Fuck off!" He yelled and jumped to his feet with a dagger in hand, then he came at Jace.

He didn't even get close before the dagger was shot out of his hand by another person.

"I think you lost already. I wouldn't try it if I was you."

Jace turned around at the words, seeing a taller person walking forward with a black and lavender colored, double-barrel revolver. He was actually around Jace's age from the look of it. The voice was almost as deep as General Ironwood's. He had bright auburn eyes, medium length, light black hair, and a clean shaven face with a few scars in different places. One very prominent scar was across his cheek on the right side.

"Now, why don't you stop bein' stupid an' give up? He's better than you, don't ya think?" The large boy said as he put his revolver in its holster on his left hip.

"Oh screw you too." The man replied and ran at the new arrival with his fists.

The large boy shook his head and grinned as he went to grab the weapon on his back, until Jace caught the thug with a powerful punch that sent his face into the concrete. His body was bent in a way that made his heels almost touch the back of his head, he stayed like that for several moments before his body straightened out.

"So…what made you want to help out?" Jace asked as he caught his breath.

"Well, I don't really know. I just got to Vale last week an' I saw that you might've needed some backup, but you handled it good. I guess I just wanted to meet a one-armed fighter. I'm Auron Karmine, nice to meetcha'." He introduced himself, reaching out his hand toward Jace.

"Jace Storm. Nice to meet you too." Jace replied while shaking Auron's hand.

They stood apart from each other, measuring up the differences between them. Auron was half a foot taller than Jace, putting him at six feet and nine inches tall. He wore a dark brown duster with red and black plate armor going up his right arm with a brown tint to it, along with a gauntlet of the same colors. In different lines on the armor, it was colored a deep red. He also wore a dark red shirt, worn out-looking blue jeans with a few holes and cuts in them, heavy-looking black work boots, and dual holsters for his double-barrel revolvers. He had a large lever-action rifle with blades on both top and bottom of the barrel, sitting in its holster on his back. The last thing Jace noticed was a black bandanna wrapped around Auron's neck.

Jace only wore the simple outfit left for him from the hospital.

"I never seen someone with one arm fight like that before. Hell, I never even heard of someone with one arm in a fight." Auron said, interested by that fact.

"I'm the only fighter with one arm as far as I know. Not for long though, I'm getting a prosthetic soon. There's a story about that… but I don't want to bore you with it," Jace said, looking over the three men that attacked him. "II think I should get going. Do you have a scroll by any chance?"

"Yeah, I do. Let's keep in touch." Auron said and brought his scroll from his pocket.

They exchanged numbers quickly and Auron nodded to Jace. "See ya around." He said and waved in goodbye.

"See you sometime." Jace replied and walked toward his group.

Jace, Qrow, and Ruby walked on toward the clothes shop, with Jace hoping to get the shopping done soon.

"You fought pretty good Jace. I'd like to see what you can do with your sword," Qrow said, grinning a bit at seeing a man flying through the air, "Well, as long as I'm not on the receiving end."

"Yeah, you were great! I never got to see you fight at full energy before!" Ruby said, showing her excitement through her words, "I mean, the way you handled it and melted that guys sword, which was probably made with some scrap metal, it was so cool! And the way you punched that last guy and he stayed like that on the ground!? That was awesome!"

"Thanks Ruby, I didn't fully expect a fight today. But l might be about ready for the initiation." Jace replied. He was still amazed that he actually did well in his first fight since he woke up from his coma. It was just a few thugs, but he did well.

"You might make a good Huntsman. And that boy you met is probably gonna be your future team mate," Qrow said, drawing a confused look from Jace. "He'll be one of the others that will be taking the initiation with you. He's from somewhere in Anima. Apparently almost beat Pyrrha Nikos in the regional tournaments a while back. I'm sure you'll learn each others stories soon enough, every one of ya have something to tell." Qrow continued while taking his flask out of his pocket.

"I look forward to it, I wonder who the others are?" Jace said while still moving his arm around.

"He almost beat Pyrrha!?" Ruby asked with wide eyes.

"Well, not _almost_. He just put up a hell of a fight. People really liked their fights." Qrow replied.

"I Thought he looked kinda familiar, and now I remember Pyrrha. Those were some pretty good fights." Jace said and thought back to when he and his family were able to fly over to Mistral to watch the tournament one year.

Ruby noticed that Zwei was getting tired and the little dog slumped on the ground just behind them. "Aww you lazy thing, come here…" She said and lifted the dog up to put him in her bag.

"I really like your dog." Jace said after she came back up to them.

"I'm sure if you didn't, you wouldn't have got all friendly with him." She replied and smiled.

"That's true." Jace admitted and gave a small chuckle.

* * *

"Here we are, Jace. Have fun shopping." Ruby said, leading Jace to the door.

"Clothes shopping is never fun." Jace said said with a shake of his head.

"Pfft. Tell that to Coco." Ruby said to herself.

Jace walked in while Qrow and Ruby went across the street to sit on a bench. He looked around the shop until he found an aisle with clothes his size. He looked through the shelves and saw a black shirt that had a white silhouette of a man with one large wing, holding a sword to his side. It reminded him of the One-Winged Angel that saved him. He picked it up and placed it in the cart he found, then looked for more clothes.

"Your arm… what happened?"

Jace jumped and nearly yelled at the sound of a girl's calm, soft voice behind him.

She caught Jace completely by surprise. It didn't help that the nightmare was still on his mind. He looked at her and paused. From seeing a boy that stood tall at six feet and nine inches that looked built like a Beowulf, to a girl at five feet and seven inches in height with stunning beauty that looked to be around his age as well, just like Auron. Her skin was almost pale, she only had a slight tan. She had a very soothing voice and long, ash blonde hair that was set loose across her shoulders and back with the right side of her bangs and the top of her hair colored black. On top of her head were a set of ears, ears of a feline to be exact. Her right cat ear was covered in black fur that while the other was blonde. She wore a pair of white jeans with black and white sneakers, a purple t-shirt, and she wore a necklace with a silver leaf hanging from it by the stem.

To another person, her ears would've been cause for their silence. But to Jace, the most striking thing about her were her eyes. They were different colors, one was light emerald and the other was deep sapphire color.

"Umm, Hello? Are you alright?" She asked, drawing Jace back into the moment.

"Oh… uh, sorry… you caught me off guard," Jace rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment, "Umm… I lost my arm in a fight a while ago. I'm still getting used to it." He said, drawing a concerned look from her.

"I'm so sorry to hear that. I'm Alyssia Wystar, you can call me Alyss." She said and reached her hand out.

"I'm Jace Storm. Nice to meet you Alyss." He replied and shook her hand lightly. "I'm sure you'll want to know what happened to me, right?"

"Yeah…" She admitted and shook her head, "but you don't have to tell me." She smiled at him. "Do you go to Beacon?"

"No, not yet. I'm still waiting for my prosthetic from Atlas, and then I'll be taking the initiation with three other people sometime. I already met one of them a little while ago."

"Really? I'll be taking that initiation too. Professor Ozpin said that he was waiting for one of us to recover. I guess that would be you?"

"Did you have the tour?" Jace asked.

"Yeah. A few days ago. Did you?"

"Yesterday. I'm gonna look forward to fighting with you.

"I'm looking forward to fighting with you too, Jace."

* * *

The two left the store and Jace looked over across the street, seeing Ruby and Qrow accompanied by a blonde Faunus boy with a long monkey tail, wearing a tan, unbuttoned dress shirt, blue jeans, and sneakers. The other one, lightly nudging the blonde one's arm, was a blue haired boy wearing a dark-red jacket, black pants, boots, and a pair of goggles on his head.

Jace had bought multiple sets of clothes and different cloth fragments, sewing supplies, and a small booklet that should help him with sewing. He also placed an order for a few patches of different sizes of the emblem he wanted. He had several bags to carry, but he didn't care as long as he was doing something.

Alyss offered to help and Jace accepted, enjoying the company of this friendly new girl. Jace now wore the shirt with the one-winged warrior, and a black long-sleeved, button-up shirt over that. He still kept the sweatpants on, though. He also bought a thick, midnight-purple jacket made from an extremely soft, high-quality cotton. He bought it for when he went back to Atlas.

"It feels good to have some new clothes." He said after taking in the breeze that cooled down the air.

"I'm sure it does." Alyss said at his side.

"It was hard to get everything on with one arm. I wasn't even gonna try with the jeans, but I don't care. It's really my only clothes too." Jace remarked with a sigh.

"Your only clothes?" Alyss asked in shock and Jace nodded. "It must've been a lot that you went through…" Jace nodded again as his eyes lowered to the ground.

Alyss pursed her lips in thought, thinking of something to make him feel better, then she figured it out and hoped it would work. "If it's not too weird to ask, could I see your arm? I might be able to help with it."

Jace brought his eyes back up and looked at her curiously. "Yeah, sure. Do you have something that can heal it?" He asked with a bit of new hope in his voice.

"Kinda. Do you want me to try?"

"Yeah, please."

They walked over to a bench, set the bags down and Jace took his shirt off, revealing his burned arm once more. "Alyss, if you ever see an Armaddon, avoid it."

"An Armaddon? Those are that new type of Grimm, right? How did you come across it?" She asked, noticing the shift in his tone again.

Jace looked to her and sighed. "I'll have to tell you sometime later, but for now, let's try to do this."

They sat down on the bench and Alyss placed her hands on Jace's arm. "Okay, try to relax. This shouldn't take too long since it's just scars." Her hands started to pulsate with a purple aura, then she spoke again.

"I guess I can tell you what I did to get here. I was there when the Grimm broke into the city and I helped fight them back. But that's not why I'm able to take this initiation. Not fully anyway," She worked her hands up to his shoulder and started to hover her hands everywhere on his arm and his chest, "This is my semblance, I can heal almost any injury or scars, but not severed limbs or severely fatal injuries, at least not yet. People say if I keep training with it, I can do that someday. A lot of people were hurt and I went and healed everyone that I could, as best as I could. Some people were hesitant to let me considering I'm a Faunus, but they saw the others that I healed and calmed down enough for me to help. Professor Ozpin saw that ability and he just showed up at my house one day and talked to me. He told me that he would see to it that I can take the initiation soon because of all I did, before even any medics were able to respond. He's giving me a great opportunity and I'm gonna try to make the most of it,"

"I've actually just been able to get my sleeping schedule back in order. Depending on what I heal, it takes a lot out of me and I have to take maybe a day to rest. It took me a month after healing all those people to actually be awake during the whole day." She finished her story as she finished with Jace's arm.

Jace raised his arm in front of himself and looked in wide-eyed amazement. She had healed it completely. All the scars were gone and the lingering pain was taken away. Jace looked in wonder at his arm, every ounce of pain was gone, even the soreness from his fight earlier.

He felt completely speechless. He couldn't find any words to say, any words to thank her with. He just turned to hug her with tears welling up in his blue and red eyes. She returned the hug, glad to help him out.

It was a few moments before Jace could bring himself to say anything. "T-thank you Alyss. Thank you s-so much for this. You just gave me something back that I didn't think I could have again. It might not seem like it… but to me, that burn was worse than losing my arm. At least I'm getting a prosthetic for that, you can't do that for burns. But you made it normal, and I don't know if I can ever thank you enough." He finished talking and stopped hugging her. A steady stream of tears were rolling down his face, tears of happiness.

"You're welcome Jace." Alyss replied with a bright smile.

Jace glanced at Alyss and he could feel some feeling in his chest that he couldn't place. It didn't hurt, it wasn't uncomfortable, it just made him feel… strange. Like some type of pressure or tightness. It could've been the overwhelming happiness he felt at the moment, or it could be something else that he, truthfully, didn't know what to think of.

"Hey Alyss, do you have a scroll?"

"Yeah I do, trading numbers?" She replied and pulled out her scroll.

"Yeah, I want to keep in touch."

They traded their numbers and put their scrolls away. "Why did you want to heal my arm?" Jace asked curiously.

She smiled widely again at the question. "I've always wanted to help people, it never mattered if they were old friends or complete strangers. I never avoided anyone that needed help. Honestly, I was hesitant to talk to you at first. I didn't know what your attitude would be towards me because, you know…" She moved her eyes up and twitched her ears. "But I went with my heart and talked to you. From the way you stared at the clothes, you looked really sad. I'm glad you're a kind person. That's another reason that Professor Ozpin was interested in me, because helping people is in my nature."

Jace laughed a bit and shook his head. "Talk about me being a kind person… You just healed a complete stranger's arm because you listened to your heart," Jace said and smiled lightly, "But that's basically the same as me. Ozpin told me that part of the reason he's giving me this opportunity is because I help people without thinking," Jace looked over across the street, with Alyss following his gaze, "That girl over there across the street, Ruby Rose, me and my brother broke past a horde of Grimm to help her and her team out. That was right after we…" Jace paused and looked to Alyss as he took a deep breath and lost his smile. She healed his arm, he could trust her with this.

"It was after we broke out of a place that ran experiments on us, and our auras were gone by the time we got to them. That's when the Armaddon burned my arm." Jace said, telling Alyss a small bit about his past. "All of that was just a few months ago. I can tell you about my brother some other time if you want… I think my friends are waiting for me."

"Experiments? Oh my Oum!" She said and held her head down. "W-what happened? I mean… what experiments?"

Jace held his hand out in front of them and he made fire come from his palm, then made it crackle with lightning. "Dust mostly… I can do this and other stuff."

"Oh… I'm so sorry to hear that you had to go through that."

Jace nodded and looked over to her. "If you have time after we get to the hospital, I'll tell you the rest."

* * *

"Uncle Qrow! Do you see that? She just healed Jace's arm!" Ruby said in shock.

"Yeah, she did. That's another one that'll be taking the initiation with him. That was her semblance there, she can heal about anything, "Qrow explained while looking at Jace's now-healed arm. "She was there at the breach, another area than what you guys were in and she healed almost everyone's injuries in a descent sized area before any medics could get there. That's why she has her chance, she just needs to show what it takes." He finished, grinning at the interaction between Jace and Alyss.

"So all that really happened to him?" Sun asked Ruby in a somber tone.

Ruby sighed at the question. "Yeah… yeah, it did. It just happened… so quick after we separated back at that house. They were just fine until…" Ruby stopped, shaking her head slowly and sighing again.

"I can't imagine that kind of pain." Neptune said and unconsciously gripped at his own arm.

* * *

Jace and Alyss picked up the bags of clothes and walked across the street to where his friends were. "Hey guys, sorry that took so long. This is Alyss." Jace said and introduced Alyss to the group.

"Hello everyone. Nice to meet you." She greeted.

"Nice to meet you too Alyss!" Ruby greeted the cat Faunus. "Jace, this is Sun Wukong and Neptune Vasilas. Two of our friends from Mistral that we met at the start of the semester."

"Seeing him tells me you guys are friendly to Faunus." Alyss said with a smile.

"Of course! We have a Faunus friend in Beacon too. Her name's Velvet." Ruby said, careful not to expose Blake's true heritage.

"Hey, good to meet you two." Jace said and held his hand out to Sun and Neptune.

"You too, man." Neptune said.

"Yeah, same here. It's good to know that you're not an ass about _us_." Sun said as he waved his tail back and forth behind himself. "And _I_ know that from you being friends with her," He said with a grin toward Alyss, then the grin disappeared. "And… Ruby told us about what you went through. I'm sorry to hear all that." He said with a frown.

Jace shook his head and put his hand on Sun's shoulder. "Don't worry about it. Nothing can be changed, so no one should keep it on their mind for long."

They parted ways with Sun and Neptune shortly after leaving. "See you guys later." Sun said, turning to shake Jace and Alyss's hands, and then he hugged Ruby.

"Don't over-think on what you two heard." Qrow said.

Sun laughed. "Don't worry, we don't think."

"Is that all the shopping you need to do, Jace?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah, that should do it. Thanks for showing me around." He replied, nodding his head to her, "I would hug you, but my hand is full."

"It's no big deal, Jace. I'm sorry I told them about that without you saying so." She apologized.

"Honestly, it saves me from saying it one more time," Jace replied, "But I'm gonna be the one to tell Alyss," He said as he looked to the girl, "I owe her."

She smiled and shook her head a small bit. "I don't think you owe me. I would've helped anyone there."

"I'm still gonna say that I owe you."

"Hey Jace, I gotta ask…" Qrow gained Jace's attention and they stopped for a moment. "How can you deal with this so well? You lost your arm, you lost your brother and father all in one month, really one night. After you woke up and had that bad night, how do you keep your attitude so positive now?" He asked carefully.

Jace thought it over for a few moments and sighed. "Well Qrow, Genesis wanted me to live for the both of us. Neither him or our dad would want me to sit around, moping and crying about what happened to us. It's hard, and I know it's gonna be hard for a long time. But I'm gonna keep fighting, I'm gonna live for us all, I'll be their living legacy. That's what keeps me going like I have been…" Qrow looked and saw a fire burning behind Jace's eyes. "I don't want to disappoint them. I _can't_ disappoint them."

Qrow looked him in the eyes and nodded, "I actually think you _will_ make a damn good Huntsman."

* * *

They were almost at the airdocks when Jace heard someone cry out. "Did any of you hear that?" He asked, trying to tilt his head toward the sound.

"Yeah, I did. I wonder what it is?" Alyss replied.

"What? What is it?" Ruby asked as Jace and Alyss tilted their heads.

They heard it again, this time it was clearer and Jace could hear someone else talking too.

"You filthy Faunus brat! You bumped into me on purpose trying to steal my lien!" The voice said, very angry at someone, a Faunus apparently.

"B-but I didn't-"

"Don't talk back to me, mutt! You need to learn your place!"

"You guys stay here. I'm gonna go follow that sound." Jace said to the group.

"I'll go too." Alyss said in worry at the other, quieter, voice. Jace nodded and the two walked toward it.

"What noise?" Ruby asked in confusion.

Jace and Alyss walked toward the direction of the voices. They walked across the street and back down the sidewalk where they came from for a few moments. When walked around the street corner and reached the source, his normal attitude was quickly replaced with anger at what he saw. A young dog Faunus boy, with deep brown eyes and a long and bushy brown and white tail, was being pushed around by a larger person who was a few years older than Jace.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing!?" Jace yelled, gaining the attention of the man.

"This is none of your business, get lost." He replied without looking, getting ready to kick at the boy again. He sounded very drunk.

He kicked the boy's leg just before Jace got to him. Jace grabbed him by his shirt and threw him away from the child. The man fell to the ground and stumbled back to his feet, swaying back and forth.

"Hey what's your problem!?" The man asked angrily before he saw Jace, noticing that he had one arm.

"You're my problem! Why are you messing with this kid!?"

"I said it was none of your damn business! You made a mistake messing with me." He said with a smirk, believing he had an advantage over Jace.

Jace shook his head and clenched his fist. It started to give off a cold chill before the man walked closer to him. He threw a punch and Jace caught it in his hand, then he froze the man's fist solid. "What the hell-!" The man got out before Jace's hand clamped around his mouth.

"Shut. Up." Jace said lowly and froze his mouth shut. Jace let go and the man backed off, trying to pull the ice from his mouth. A second later, Jace punched the man in the face and sent him to the ground, shattering the ice around his mouth and knocking him out.

"Jace, is everything okay?" Alyss asked when she walked to him.

"I'm good. But that's not what I'm worried about." He answered and turned his attention to the young boy. Jace walked over to him and knelt beside him. "Hey buddy, you alright?" He asked and the boy turned away from him.

"Hey, it's alright. You can trust me, I'm… part Faunus." Jace said with his own confusion, drawing a look from the boy.

"You can only be human or Faunus. Which are you supposed to be?" He asked, but Jace just shook his head.

"I know… Oum, I know… You'll just have to trust me. Alyss, will you heal him?"

Alyss quickly knelt down next to them and placed her hand on the boy's leg where the older man kicked it. The child tried to squirm away but immediately stopped when he looked at the top of Alyss' head. She flashed a reassuring smile and pulsed her semblance. It took just a few seconds before the boy's leg was healed up, and he was grateful now that Alyss had done that.

"Thanks… but why did you help me?" He asked and pointed at Jace, "I'm just a Faunus." He said, eyes cast down from him.

Jace laid his hand on the child's shoulder, "Hey, you're not _just_ a Faunus. You're every bit of a person everyone else is. You just have more to you. Don't let people like that man tell you different. And I told you, I'm part Faunus, and my friend here is a Faunus, plus I know how it feels to be bullied for something I have no control over." He said and made eye contact with him, "What's your name?"

"Jack…"

Jace gave a bit of a grin. "Just Jack?"

"Jack Reigns," The boy answered fully, "Thank you… for helping me." Jack said with tears running down his face now.

"Do you… have a home?" Jace asked in worry.

Jack nodded his head quickly. "Yeah, I do… can you take me back?" He asked and his tail started to wag.

Jace sighed in relief. He helped the young boy to his feet and dusted him off. "Thank Oum you do."

They walked back around the corner and went towards the others. "Who are they?" Jack asked, trying to get behind the two to hide himself from them.

"Don't worry," Jace said to him, "They're my friends."

"Who's this?" Qrow asked when they got back together.

"His name's Jack. He got lost and we're gonna help him get home." Jace answered.

"Hey Jack!" Ruby greeted and knelt down to his level, "It's nice to meet you. I'm Ruby."

There was a small bark and Ruby's bag rustled, then Zwei jumped out, startling both Alyss and Jack.

"And this is Zwei!" She said as the dog came up to the boy.

"C-can I pet him?" Jack asked as Zwei tilted his head at him.

"Of course! I think he's making all sorts of new friends today."

"How long has he been there?" Alyss asked nervously.

"Since this morning. He got tired and I put him in my bag for him to rest," Ruby answered, then noticed how Alyss was standing. She was standing stiff. "Is everything okay?"

"Oh! Y-yeah! I'm just nervous around dogs, really."

After Jack was finished with letting Zwei, the small group walked on to find the boy's home.

* * *

It took them nearly two hours to find the boy's home.

Before they got to the door, Jace turned to Jack. "Listen, if you ever see that person again, avoid him, unless you're with your parents. Understand?" He said, drawing a quick nod from the boy.

Jace walked up to the door and rapped on it three times. A few moments later, a Faunus woman opened the door, looking like she had been crying. Her short, floppy dog ears were drooped down on the sides of her head. "Yes? What is it?" She asked, looking at Jace in confusion.

"We found your son." He said simply and stepped out of the way.

The woman's ears perked up. She looked past Jace and saw her son, then took off to hug the boy. "Oh my Oum where have you been!?" She asked with tears of relief streaming down her face.

"I tried to go get you something for your birthday mom, but I got lost." He answered in shame.

Jace walked back over to them and stood close by. "When we found him, he was being bullied on the sidewalk, but me and my friend were able to hear him crying from around the corner of a building. His leg was hurt too, but Alyss fixed it."

The woman looked over everyone there, her eyes red from crying. "Thank you all so much. I'm glad there are still good people in the world."

"Don't mention it. You just be glad that we have a couple Faunus here." Qrow said with a grin.

"Oh, just… thank you all so much." The woman replied.

"We'll let you go now. You two stay safe." Qrow said and they left the family.

* * *

While on the airbus back to the docks near the hospital, Jace felt his scroll vibrate. He opened it with a confused look on his face, wondering who would be messaging him. His confusion turned to excitement when he read the message. It was from General Ironwood.

' _Jace, everything is ready for your operation. I will arrive at the hospital at eight o'clock in the morning to get you. Please be ready by then.'_

Jace smiled a bit and put his scroll back in his pocket.

"You're actually smiling. What's up?" Qrow asked when he looked over to Jace.

"I'll be heading to Atlas tomorrow morning. I'm getting my prosthetic, and I'm excited." Jace replied while keeping his smile.

"That's good to hear Jace!" Ruby said with a smile of her own.

Alyss looked over and regarded him warmly. "How long do you think it'll take?"

"Hopefully not long. It could take the rest of the week to get there, get the prosthetic set, and come back. Hopefully I'm wrong and it'll be shorter."

After the ship touched down, it was an hour-long walk to the hospital, but they reached it before dark. "That was an eventful day. Thanks for showing me around, Ruby." Jace said before he felt her arms wrap around him.

"Anytime, Jace. I was glad to help." Ruby said, then they walked into the hospital and to Jace's room where they all sat down after a long day with Zwei jumping up in Ruby's lap to nap.

"So this is where you have to stay?" Alyss asked, looking around the room before her eyes landed on the weapons in the corner.

"Yeah, I have to stay here until initiation. But I don't mind it that much, I get a great view…" Jace said as he took his new long-sleeve shirt off, then looked out the window at the sunset.

"I just don't like the silence."

They all stared out the window, marveling at the beauty of the setting sun. All except for Qrow. He's seen enough of them in his life to just not give a damn about it.

"It _is_ a really pretty view." Ruby said, leaning back in her chair to relax at the sight.

Alyss looked at the setting sun for a few moments, then set her attention back to Jace. "So that's your weapon?" She glanced at _Standoff_ setting against his bed.

"Yeah, my brother gave it to me. I don't really know if I'm gonna make one of my own or not. I want to order the parts and put together a new pistol sometime, though."

"It's still a nice weapon. You should see mine."

"Thank you. Why don't you have it with you?"

"I didn't think I'd need it today. I'll probably start keeping it with me more often now."

"You should see Ruby's scythe, it's easily one of the coolest things I've ever seen." Jace said while looking over to Ruby, who was still staring out of the window at the setting sun.

Qrow tapped her on the shoulder to gain her attention. "Hey, I think Jace wants you to show Alyss your scythe."

"Oh, sure!" She exclaimed, standing up and taking out her weapon. As she showed it off, she explained to Alyss that seeing new weapons is like meeting new people, but better.

"Honestly, I think it's true," Jace said while watching Ruby show off _Crescent Rose_. "It gives you a chance to see the other person's creativity and mindset behind making their weapon. You can't really do that by just talking to someone." He finished as Ruby put her scythe back up.

"I think I should head back to the dorm before Yang breaks the door down trying to find me." Ruby said as she went to say her goodbyes.

"Too late!"

Jace jumped at the sound of Yang's voice. "Gods, you people need to stop doing that!" He shook his head and took a breath. "That makes the third time today that's happened."

Yang chuckled at him with a grin on her face. "Well I didn't think anything could make you jump like that, good to know." She replied, greeting Jace before she noticed his arm, and then Alyss. "How did your burns get healed?"

"A new friend. Yang, this is Alyss, the girl that I can't thank enough." Jace introduced the two.

They shook hands and Alyss smiled. "Another person not calling me an animal? This day keeps getting better." Yang nodded and smiled back, then Alyss continued, "Your hair is amazing too! It must take a lot of work to keep it clean and cared for, but it looks like it really doesn't need it."

Yang smiled even more widely at the compliment, "Thank's Alyss. I like you already."

"What? You don't like her because she healed my arm?" Jace said and crossed his arms with a hurt expression.

She looked back to him and laughed. "Yeah, that too."

They sat and talked for a bit until Yang, Ruby, and Qrow left. Jace and Alyss sat and stared through the window.

"You know, you kinda remind me of my brother." Jace said suddenly, gaining Alyss's attention from the window.

"What do you mean?"

"Your eyes. That's the reason it took me a minute to answer you earlier. They're light-green and dark-blue. His eyes were light-blue. And they changed to dark-green every few hours…" Jace looked toward the window and smiled a small bit. "It kinda gives me some comfort." He said a bit shyly.

Alyss felt heat rise in her cheeks at what he said. "Well then, that's cool that we have the same color eyes." She replied and looked toward the setting sun once more.

"And honestly… I think they're really beautiful to look at." Jace said quietly while he stared outwards toward the city.

"Who's weapons are those in the corner?" Alyss asked after the feeling went away in her cheeks

"They're mine. I got them from that place. An _AGR_ and a _TBR_. I plan on having the big one in my locker at Beacon."

"Umm…" Alyss started nervously and looked to Jace.

"What is it?" He asked her.

"You told Jack earlier that you were part Faunus. What did you mean by 'part'?"

Jace sighed and looked to the ground. "Those people that kidnapped us… It… It wasn't just dust that they put in us…" He said and heard the gasp from her.

"How could they do that!?" The disbelief in her voice was very evident. "What kind of people would do that to others!?"

"I don't know… I have every heightened sense of a Faunus now," Jace breathed deeply through his nose and raised his vision again. "Night vision, heightened smell, better hearing and sight. I could even sense that people were walking behind me, Qrow, and Ruby earlier. That's why I guess I'm part Faunus."

"Oum, that's horrible. Just all that stuff you said you went through… I wish we could all just live in peace."

"Yeah. Me too." Jace agreed.

"I won't judge you any differently for any of that you went through. I promise." Alyss said and laid her hand on his arm.

"T-thanks, Alyss." Jace replied as his chest tightened at the touch.

They sat and watched the sun disappear over the horizon. The orange glow was beautiful to see from the hospital window. After a few more moments, Alyss went to stand and stretch her limbs. "I think I should head out now. I really liked talking with you, Jace."

Jace rose and embraced her in a hug. "Thank you again for helping me."

She returned the hug with pleasure. "I was glad to help, Jace. I'm even more glad that I met some friendly people."

"Actually, before you go, can I ask you something?" Jace asked as they separated.

"Yeah, what is it?"

"Would you… want to come with me to Atlas?" Jace asked and felt that feeling he had in his chest before. "I know it's probably weird to ask that out of the blue, but… I'd like for you to come with me, so we could talk some more."

Alyss was caught off guard by the question and stuttered over her answer. "O-oh… yeah! I can go with you! I think it would be nice to be away from home for a bit. Thanks for offering." Alyss smiled and felt a feeling in her as well.

"Alright then. You should probably try to be here around seven. Think you could wake up that early?"

"I should be able to. Mom might have a fit because of me going so early, but she'll be okay with it."

"I guess I won't keep you any longer. I'll see you tomorrow, then. Be sure to have some really warm clothes." Jace said and smiled genuinely to her again.

"Okay. See you then, Jace." Alyss replied and turned to walk out the door.

She left the room and Jace changed clothes, then sat down for a bit. It was getting easier for him to walk, but an extended time on his feet like that day left him completely drained of energy. He stared at the wall for a few moments, thinking on everything that happened that day. He met Auron Karmine, a boy that looked like someone straight from a novel or movie about gunslingers. And he met Alyss Wystar the girl he actually couldn't stop thinking about. They would both be taking the initiation with him and he never thought he'd meet them before then. To be truthful, he didn't know exactly why he asked Alyss to accompany him to Atlas. One reason would be that he felt he should do something for her like show her a new place. He knew that there was more of a reason though, but he couldn't place it. Maybe it's because she let him have his first genuine smile since before he was kidnapped. Maybe it had something to do with the feeling in his chest at being around her, even though they just met that same day.

He thought about that feeling for a few moments before he started to wonder who the last person was that was taking the initiation. It could really be anyone. Someone built like a tank equipped with a large sword and shield, or a person that moved like a viper that used daggers in blinding speed. He knew it would be an interesting time.

After thinking for a bit, he stood up. He walked to the hospital lobby where they had books and, surprisingly, weapon catalogs for sale. Looking through them, he found one book he might be interested in and a couple of weapon catalogs.

It was called _Soldiers of the Wasteland_. A story about three warriors brought together to return three sacred warhammers to their former owners' resting place. He also found two descent sized weapon catalogs that had countless weapons, parts and modifications. He paid ten lien for them and went back to his room to sleep for the night.

He didn't know what tomorrow would bring, but he was truly excited. He had friends now, friends that he never had in Atlas. He knew people there, that's a given fact, but they were mostly uptight rich kids that didn't care about anyone else unless they had money.

The only exceptions were, surprisingly he admitted, Weiss, the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company. She came from all of that money and power, but she was a very nice person when Jace met her.

Two other people were Tyr Alexander and Ashe Crane from team Apricot. Tyr had a prosthetic hand that was rumored to have been caused by his own semblance when he first activated it. Ashe was a quiet person on Tyr's team, but she never seemed like she hated anything or anyone.

The last person was Flynt Coal, who he wouldn't have minded being friends with. He seemed like a down to Remnant guy, but Jace hardly ever got the chance to even speak with him.

With Weiss, Jace never talked to her in Atlas, and rarely even saw her, it makes sense that she wouldn't recognize him. He shook his head and put all those thoughts aside.

For now he needed to get to sleep, which he did almost immediately after laying down

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: Yep. The longest. I would've tried to split it, but I couldn't find any good halfway point for it.**

 **And now Jace got to meet Auron and Alyss. And he got to meet Zwei! Then there's Sun and Neptune. Then Jack. That's six new friends. He got to sell the dust, buy some new clothes, and he has the trip to Atlas with Alyss to look forward to the next chapter, which will be Monday. I might make a change and just post on Saturdays every other weekend. It'll give me more time to work through the chapters and edit them more.**

 **And so we met the healer as well. A note about her semblance, as she said herself, is that she can't heal fatal injuries or lost limbs with it. At least not without extreme practice and time. A burn like Jace's scars wouldn't take a lot of her energy, but the more serious the injury, the more drained of energy she is.**

 **Another note for Alyss is how her name is pronounced. I know it's a small deal, but I think I should explain how I meant for it to be. It should be pronounced like uh-liss. I really like that name.**

 **And for Auron, a lot of you might wonder why he's in Vale and not back in Mistral from the prologue. That'll get explained a few chapters down the line.**

 **Also, I want to say something about new team names. The first time they show up, they'll be spelled fully, like Apricot, just to help anyone understand how they're pronounced. But when it shows up again, it'll be APCT.**

 **Anyways, the next few chapters will take place in Atlas with Jace and Alyss. See you then, and have a nice day!**


	13. Chapter 12: Anxious Heart

**Anxious Heart**

Jace rose from his bed, awoken by the sound of his scroll receiving a message. He looked out the window to see that the moon was already dipped over the horizon. He checked the message and the light blinded his eyes for a few moments. Jace sighed and rubbed his eyes, then checked the message. He immediately straightened up with a small smile after seeing that it was from Alyss.

 _'Hey Jace, I'm on my way now. It shouldn't take me too long to get there if the traffic stays light and I can catch an airbus. See you then.'_

It was six-fifteen in the morning and Jace wasted no time in washing up and changing clothes, into the clothes he bought the day before, but still, minus the new pants. He ate the food that was brought to him and asked for another serving for a guest, then he waited. He was excited and a bit anxious to go back to his old home with a new friend. He sat next to the window for a few minutes and then grabbed a few things to put in his bag. He took two weapon catalogs, his spaulder, and he decided to take _Twin Fang_ with him also.

He set the bag on the bed, then placed _Standoff_ on his back. With one arm, it was difficult to get the harness to stay in place with how it was set up. It had straps that went over his shoulders and connected with two more strapped buckles from a belt, then the shoulder straps connected to each other. Seeing as how he wore no belt at the moment, the harness would not cooperate with him too well. With that done, he went to the front of the hospital and waited for Alyss.

He found a bench near the entrance and sat there, waiting for Alyss to arrive. He felt happy beyond belief that Alyss accepted his offer, but he still couldn't think of why he felt that way. She healed his arm for nothing in return and he knew he wanted to repay her, but that didn't explain what he felt in his chest.

He was lost in thought when a taxi pulled up and stopped near him thirty minutes later. He looked over to it and smiled as Alyss stepped from the back seat. She wore a tight, purple long-sleeved shirt, a pair of white, almost skin-tight jeans, black and white sneakers, and a white hoodie with black cuffs, each had a thumbhole in them where her thumbs stuck through.

Alyss had what Jace guessed to be her weapon, which looked to be a simple and thick metallic staff with three different handholds. She carried a bag over her shoulder that Jace assumed had extra clothes in it, along with other things. He couldn't deny that she looked even more beautiful.

"Good morning Alyss." Jace said as he walked up to her.

"Morning. When's the General supposed to be here?"

"He said around eight. You wanna head inside? It's really chilly." Jace suggested and Alyss nodded her head quickly.

They went back to Jace's room and sat down near the window. "I did _not_ expect it to be that cold." Jace remarked as he put on a long sleeved shirt and his new jacket.

"Yeah I know. I'm glad we don't have to stay outside."

"Trust me, it's a lot worse on Solitas." Jace remarked.

Alyss sighed a bit. "I guess I'll probably need a lot more than my hoodie, then."

"Eh, you should be fine when we're in the city," Jace Replied, "You haven't met any of the others have you? The ones taking the initiation?" He asked when he sat down across from Alyss.

"No, I haven't. What was the one you met like?"

"His name's Auron Karmine. And he's pretty friendly too, he at least tried to help me out against those three thugs. Reason I say _tried_ is because I had it handled and he shot the knife out of a guy's hand before he attacked me again."

"What did he look like?"

Jace thought for a few seconds to remember, "He was about seven feet tall. And he looked like a gunslinger from one of those movies. He wore a brown duster, jeans, a red shirt, his weapons were two big double-barrel revolvers and a big lever action rifle. I want to see him fight."

"Sounds like an interesting person. I can't wait to meet him."

Jace sighed after a moment of staring out the window. "Since we have time, do you want to hear about my brother?"

She looked at him and sighed as well. "Yeah, I guess something really bad happened that put his sword with you?"

Jace nodded slowly. "Yeah… it was a few months after we escaped from that facility. We were taken from the forest outside Atlas and we ended up in Vale. It took us three months of walking and resting at villages before we could actually see the coast. We were trying to make our way back to Atlas and we were trapped in a clearing. That's when the person that experimented on us showed up and…" Jace choked up a bit and took a deep breath as he brought his fingers up to his left eye, then forced himself to continue. "H-he stabbed our dad in front of us, and he died in my arms."

"Oh Jace, I'm sorry to hear that." Alyss said and reached out to hug him, feeling tears welling in her eyes from hearing it.

"T-thanks Alyss. I guess it's still hard for me to deal with." He said to her and she pulled back from him, then he continued. "We had to fight through a lot of mercenaries. It lasted for hours until most that we were fighting focused their gunshots to Genesis, and he went down. We didn't have our auras by then, so I drove the last people back with _Siege Breaker_ and they started running. I knelt down beside Genesis and he gave me his sword before he died. Then I stood up and closed my eyes. Before I knew it, that scientist's bodyguard came up behind me and cut my arm off, and I… I killed him. After that, I gave them a funeral pyre and just walked toward Vale… I wish I could've brought them back to bury them…" He paused and took another deep breath.

"I walked for I don't know how long and I just passed out in Forever Fall. Qrow took care of me for three days while I was out. I woke up and walked again, then got to a cliff. That's when a few Beowulves showed up and nearly killed me. I lost my old pistol too… I had that thing since I was a kid. I thought I was gonna die until I saw a bright light, then, umm… like that old legend… a One-Winged Angel came down and helped me. He killed the Grimm, took me to Patch and I eventually found Ruby, Yang and their dad. They took care of me until they got Qrow to bring me here…"

"Gods… I really hope I don't have to say all of that much more." Jace said while looking through the window with tears falling from his eyes.

Alyss looked at him, stared into his ruby-red and sky-blue eyes and saw all of the sadness there. "I'm sorry that all of that happened to you. Maybe if I was there, I could've healed him." She laid her hand on his shoulder.

Jace smiled weakly. "Thanks for the thought…" He said and blanked back tears.

"I'm guessing that staff is your weapon?" Jace asked Alyss after a few moments.

Alyss grabbed the staff and held it to her side, "Yeah it is. I named it _Soul Leaf_ , my mom gave it to me after… certain things happened." She said and pressed a button on the staff, making a machete-like blade form on one end of it.

"A glaive? Not just a simple staff then?"

"Oh no, it turns into a submachine gun too. Recoil's perfect for me to handle, even with gravity rounds." Alyss remarked as she pressed a different button, making _Soul Leaf_ morph into its gun form. Not surprisingly, Jace noticed that the metal had a tint of purple to it.

The blade was set as a bayonet extending from under the short barrel, making it useful if something ever got really close to her. It looked like the magazine would go in the side to also act as a grip.

"First time I've actually seen a weapon like that. That's pretty nice." Jace said and sighed.

"What's wrong?" Alyss asked at the tone of the sigh.

"I don't know where to take you in Atlas. Any place you'd like to go?"

"Hmm. Maybe a dust shop, or… I think there may be an ancient or antique weapon gallery that I've heard about. We could see if it's actually there?" Alyss suggested hopefully.

"Yeah, that would be nice, I think. I'm glad you decided to come with me."

"Thank you again for offering!" She said excitedly, "I've always wanted to see Atlas because of its whole 'futuristic' look."

"You know, a lot of people there might not be that friendly towards you." Jace remarked at one of the problems of Atlas.

"' _Oh well_ 'is what I say. I learned a while ago to tune all of that out when it starts. It's nice that you're worried about me though." Alyss said with a warm smile. Both of them started feeling the pressure in their chests.

"Oh, well, yeah. I don't want them to make you feel bad. That would make me feel pretty bad too." Jace said when he started to look out of the window again.

"It's alright. Really. They won't bother me. Thank you for caring."

* * *

General Ironwood arrived at eight o'clock as he said he would and stepped through the open door. "Good morning, Jace. Are you ready to leave?" He asked and looked between the two in the room.

"Yes sir. Is it alright if she comes with me?" Jace asked and motioned to Alyss. "Her name is Alyss Wystar. She healed my burns yesterday and I wanted to maybe show her around Atlas if we have the time."

Ironwood looked to Alyss with a raised eyebrow, then nodded. "I see no reason as to why not. We may leave when you're ready."

They left the hospital and drove to the airship docks, which took fifteen minutes to arrive in the vehicle. The ship they would be taking was smaller than Ironwood's huge warship that was currently flying over Beacon, but it was still large as it was.

"Jace, Alyss, this is the _Ravensword_ , one of our faster airships. Depending on the weather, we will arrive in Atlas in less than two hours. This is also one of the best ships in the fleet, with one of the best captains in my opinion. His name is Viktor Stone." Ironwood said, walking onboard the ship. Jace and Alyss followed suit, stepping onto the ship and immediately feeling the difference between solid ground and the steel plates of the airship.

"When we arrive in Atlas, we will get your procedure done and over with, it shouldn't take terribly long. Then you are free to roam for a bit, unless you want to return to the airship and rest. This is where you'll be staying for the night also." Ironwood led the two to the crew quarters of the ship.

Jace felt a lump building up in his throat as he thought of his question to ask. "Umm, sir?"

Ironwood looked back to him. "What is it, Jace?"

Jace felt that his stomach was unbearably heavy to him now. "If it's alright with you, I'd like to go stay at my old house right outside of Atlas. If nothing's happened to it, that is."

Ironwood looked back to Jace and gave a smile. "Hmm, alright then. It just so happens that I've made sure that the property was kept closed off after I found out what happened, and that you will always have that place to go to if you needed it again."

Jace immediately felt his stomach tighten even more at the words. _"Did he really go through that trouble for me?"_ Alyss looked at him and saw his expression, then laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Your house is still intact and in your name. You'll always be welcome in Atlas." Ironwood finished with a nod.

Jace felt the hand on his shoulder and he felt at ease, then he looked to the General. "Thank you for that, sir."

"Jace, for what you've done, we all still owe you a great deal." The General replied.

They arrived at the flight deck of the ship where they met with Viktor. "So, this is the kid we came here to get? An' who's this other one?" Viktor asked, stepping up to them. He was an older, brown haired man with a dark red beanie on his head. He looked to be in his mid thirties. He wore simple dark-blue work pants, a gray shirt, and a red jacket wrapped around his waist. The weapon on his back was a regular looking shotgun with a short flag wrapped around the stock.

"Yes Viktor, this is Jace Storm, the boy I told you about. The one that stopped the kidnappings." Ironwood replied while shaking the captain's hand.

"Ah, the one that had the experiments run on 'im? That sounds like hell." Viktor said, then turned to Alyss, "An' who're you?"

"I'm Alyss Wystar, pleased to meet you."

"Hmm. Anyway, welcome aboard the _Ravensword_ , you two. Don't litter, or I will throw your asses out in mid-air. Clear?" Viktor said to them while shaking their hands.

"Don't worry, we won't." Jace replied with a grin.

"An' I goddamn mean it!" Viktor called over his shoulder after he turned and walked on.

They took half an hour to prepare for takeoff. Jace and Alyss sat down on a bench in the flight deck and started to look through the weapon catalogs Jace brought with him.

"The kidnappings?" Alyss said and cocked her head to the side. "Was that what the umm, experiments came from?" She asked softly.

"Yeah. It was. I… I killed the person responsible for it." Jace replied and set the catalog to the side. "I hate that I had to do it… but it'll keep that from happening to anyone else."

"You did a good thing, Jace." Alyss said and flashed him a small smile. "You should be thankful that you saved a lot of lives."

"Yeah… I'm glad no one else has to suffer like that." Jace sighed and they both sat in silence for a bit.

After the airship took off, Jace decided to give Weiss a call and asked her if there was any place to visit while he was there with Alyss.

"Nothing comes to mind, but you could go visit the Academy. Didn't you go there before all of that happened? Other than that, I would suggest one of the restaurants or perhaps a mall." She suggested.

"Well, I _could_ visit the school, but there's no one there that I know, or really like for that matter. They're mostly uptight, egotistical, backstabbing assholes, to put it very nicely." Jace replied with a laugh, "The only people from Atlas that aren't like that are General lronwood, Tyr Alexander, Ashe Crane, Flynt Coal, and you."

Weiss let out a short laugh."If you ask Ruby, Yang, or Blake, they'd say I used to be three of those things. But never backstabbing." She said and Jace heard Yang laugh loudly in the background,

"Hey! You're still an egotistical asshole sometimes, Ice Queen!" She called out jokingly and everyone, except Weiss, laughed.

"Oh shut it, Xiao Long!" Weiss yelled at the blonde, mouth away from the scroll, "Anyways, what airship are you on Jace?" She asked, still a bit flustered.

"I'm on a ship called the _Ravensword_. The General says that it's one of the best in the fleet." Jace replied and heard a small gasp from her. "What is it, Weiss?"

It took her a moment to reply back. "That _is_ the best ship in the fleet! It's the fastest and one of the most high tech out of any of them! I'm jealous!"

"Well, it's pretty cool that this is my first real airship ride too," Jace said with a smile, then changed his attitude and sighed.

"I'm gonna be going back to my old house to stay the night."

Weiss heard the strain in his voice. "How does that make you feel?"

"It feels like there's a huge lump in my throat. I just think I need to go there and just face the complete truth about what happened. I don't know what'll happen, I might just break down completely… or I'll just roam around like nothing's wrong… I just don't know." He said, feeling that lump in his throat again. Then he felt Alyss' hand on his shoulder and the lump started to go away.

"Well, you have friends you can talk to if you need them, Jace." Weiss said to him.

"Thank you, Weiss. I'd just… like to hope that Genesis and our dad are there, just waiting for me. But, looking at my left side, I know that can't happen." Jace said, feeling his eyes stinging slightly as tears started to build.

"Can I talk to Ruby for a bit?" Jace picked up the weapon catalog again and skimmed through the pages.

"Hey Jace, you alright?" Ruby asked him, "I heard Weiss' attitude change from nice to mad to excited to sad."

"Yeah… I'm good. Thanks for asking." Jace answered.

"That's good to hear. What've you been up to since yesterday?"

"Just on my way to Atlas. I'm just looking through a weapon catalog with Alyss-"

"Oh, hi Alyss!" Ruby yelled through her scroll,

"Ow, my ear!" Jace almost yelled.

"Ow, now _my_ ear!" Alyss echoed back jokingly and flicked her ears. "And hey Ruby!" Alyss greeted the energetic girl.

"Alright, anyways," Jace continued after his ear stopped ringing, "I saw some parts I could use for a new pistol and I saw a cool weapon that I think you'd like to see."

"Really?" Ruby's voice picked up a bit. "What kind?"

"It's a shoulder-mounted minigun, almost like Coco's from what you've told me, although not a handbag. I really need to meet her. Anyways, it's got three barrels and shoots like an artillery piece almost like mine, _and_ can transform down into a warhammer as big as _Magnhild_. It sounds awesome." Jace explained the whole weapon to Ruby and looked through the page more.

"That does sound really cool! What else is in it?"

"Good Dust, I've seen riot shields that turn into assault shotguns, knuckle dusters that turn into pistols, axes that turn into crossbows, and an electric guitar that turns into a flamethrower." Jace paused, took a breath, and chuckled, "People can come up with some crazy stuff. Like you."

They talked for thirty minutes about the different weapons and modifications in the catalog before Jace asked to talk to Yang.

"Oh, and Jace?" Ruby said before she gave it over.

"Yeah?"

"You sound happy now. Just sayin'. Bye!" She handed the scroll to Yang before Jace could respond.

"Sup."

"H-hey," Jace couldn't help but be surprised at what Ruby had said, "How're you doing?"

"I'm great. I just had to listen to you and Ruby nerd out over weapons for the past half hour." She said, glancing back at Ruby.

"Hey, it's not my fault I like different weaponry too. Wait… yeah… it is." He sighed as he realized what he said and drew a small giggle from Alyss, and he wasn't able to think of anything to say to that.

"Still though, I'm not all crazy like Ruby about it, but whatever… Anyways, what have you guys been into today?"

Yang let out a short laugh at the question, "Well, I've kept Ruby on a short leash today after you ki-" She was going to say ' _kidnapped_ ,' but immediately stopped herself, " _Had_ her all day yesterday." She drew a glare from Ruby.

"Hey, we kept getting sidetracked. I met four people, I had to fight some dumb thugs."

"Oh yeah! Ruby showed us a video of it, they didn't stand a chance!"

"Wait… Ruby took a video of that?"

"Yeah. You mean you didn't know?"

"I was kinda busy… But I guess that works," Jace shook his head with a grin, "Anyways, I had to deal with some bullying asshole too."

"Yeah, she told us about that too. I wish you guys would've beat him down…" Yang frowned because she wasn't there to stomp a mudhole in the bully herself.

"What? She didn't tell you I froze his mouth shut and knocked him out?" Jace asked.

"Oh, so he or what he deserved?"

"No, he deserved a worse beating. I just wasn't gonna do that in front of Jack."

"Still, I'm glad you did something. Anyways, we pretty much just sat in the dorm so far. We were going to go to the library and play a bit of our _World of Remnant_ board game later after we eat." Yang said, getting a laugh from Jace.

"Who's nerding out now?"

"Hey! That board game is fun!" Yang protested.

"Well so is looking at weapons! Isn't that right Ruby!?" Jace said just loud enough for Ruby to hear.

"Yeah!"

"Beat Yang in that board game for me!"

"Will do!"

Viktor looked behind him with a cigar in his mouth, blowing out smoke from his nose. "Damn weird-asses." He said to himself with a chuckle, then turned back around.

Jace was laughing for a couple of seconds before he asked to talk to Blake.

"Hello Jace. Having fun bantering with Yang?" Blake asked, smiling at the interaction.

"Yeah I am. It's nice to be able to have fun." Jace said, still smiling to himself. "Anyone been preparing for the Tournament?"

"Yeah, everyone's been coming up with their strategies and roles in the fights. It's going to get crazy soon."

Jace sighed at that. "It sucks I can't be a part of it. I wouldn't mind having the chance to test myself against other students." He looked out the front of the ship and saw Atlas in the distance.

"Well, you could see if you can sit in on Ms. Goodwitch's class and try to challenge someone there." Blake suggested.

"Do you think I could do that? If I can, I really don't know who to challenge though. I'll think of someone."

"I wouldn't know either. Maybe you could go against Jaune? You both have simple swords, although yours is a titan in comparison."

"Maybe that can work. There's two people I'd love to fight if they're somehow there. My old teammates. I just don't know if I'll ever see them again."

"Alright! We'll be landing in a few minutes!" They heard Viktor yell and the two initiates could see Atlas clearly.

"Before I let you go, I want to set the face-cam up real quick for you and Weiss to kinda meet Alyss." Jace said and Blake checked with Weiss, who agreed.

They quickly set it up to show their faces, and Blake's eyes widened a bit after seeing Alyss' ears. "So you're Alyss? Ruby told us you healed Jace's arm. That was a kind thing to do. And… you're a Faunus?" Blake asked, seemingly shocked that Jace's new friend was the same race as her.

"Yeah, pleased to meet you Blake." Alyss replied politely and immediately glanced to the bow atop Blake's head.

"You too… I guess you can tell that I'm a Faunus too?" Blake said lowly.

"Yeah, I can tell. I don't know how really, I just know when I meet another Faunus," Alyss whispered, understanding Blake's want for wearing a bow, "And it's nice to meet a fellow cat Faunus with ears." She smiled warmly and Jace grinned at the interaction between the two.

"Yeah, it is," Blake said with a smile, "Weiss, your turn." She handed the scroll off to Weiss.

"Hello Alyss. Pleasure to meet you." Weiss greeted elegantly even though it was through a scroll.

"Weiss Schnee, right? Pleased to meet you too."

Weiss raised an eyebrow. "So, you're not going to chew me out for being a Schnee? Even with ou-" Weiss corrected herself, "My _father's_ reputation?"

Alyss smiled and shook her head. "No. I'm not someone to be overly angry for something that I'm not even a part of."

"Thank you then, for not holding a grudge against me." Weiss said and bowed her head.

"We're about landed now, so we'll let you go. You guys don't get into trouble." Jace said while standing up to stretch

"It was nice to meet you both." Alyss said to Weiss.

"You as well, Alyss. And we won't, Jace. Try to enjoy your time in Atlas." Weiss said and they ended the call as the _Ravensword_ touched down.

Ironwood walked up to Jace and Alyss as the engines died down. "Welcome back to Atlas, Jace. We'll be leaving here by car and we'll arrive at the labs shortly. After we get your arm taken care of, I'll take you to your home."

They walked off the airship into the snowfall and made their way to the waiting car. Jace and Alyss put _Standoff_ and _Soul Leaf_ in the trunk respectively and got into the back seat. Jace laid _Twin Fang_ between him and Alyss as the General sat in the front passenger seat.

"Y'know sir, I owe all of you so much too." Jace said, feeling more anxious than ever.

"It's alright Jace. Just become a good huntsman, that's all I ask."

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: I know it's obvious. I don't know how to be subtle.**

 **Jace is feeling a lot of feelings from being in Atlas again. That, added with what he feels for Alyss, is a lot to deal with. With all the feelings Jace has while there, he'll be glad he asked that question to Alyss.**

 **See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	14. Chapter 13: Invisible Wounds

**Invisible Wounds**

It was a thirty minute drive to the labs. Jace looked through the window of Ironwood's armored car at the passing cars, buildings, and people, seeing how little things have changed. Alyss looked out the window at all the buildings in awe. A lot of the ones they drove past had glass windows all along the height of them. The color of them were mostly gray or glossy-white, she noticed how some of them were slightly slanted as well.

"I need you to understand one more thing, Jace." Ironwood said suddenly and Jace turned toward him.

"What is it, sir?"

"These prosthetics use your aura to function, along with the sensors for the nerves. When the attachment was set, there were multiple pins and specially-made wires that were connected to your nerves."

"Whoa… all of that was done when I was put to sleep?" Jace asked in disbelief.

Ironwood nodded. "Yes. With the neurologists that accompanied me, the surgery was finished quickly with no complications. Now, the pins are sensors and the wires act as artificial nerves. The prosthetic will connect to the pins and read those sensors, then comes the aura drain."

"Aura drain?" Jace echoed in confusion.

"Yes. As I've said, these require your aura. A good amount, in fact," Ironwood answered, "The sensors are all well and good. If you weren't a Huntsman-in-training, it would serve you well enough. But some of these prosthetics are specifically made for Huntsmen. We use aura to enhance our combat and healing abilities, and every part of our bodies need our aura, even a prosthetic. it will keep it functioning much longer as well. It will even your aura out accordingly."

"Okay… What's gonna happen with the drain?"

"At first, the arm will drain your aura greatly and your body may try to reject it. If that happens, it will be painful and you may start vomiting or pass out from the extreme stress. And since we already have the base for the prosthetic set up, you shouldn't need to be put under anesthesia," He finished and Jace nodded his understanding.

"I also checked the database for any magazines left over for your _Anti-Grimm Rifle_. I couldn't find any. It seems everything was stolen." Ironwood said and stared out the window.

"It's no problem, sir. I'll just cleave the Grimms' heads off." Jace said with a grin.

They arrived at the Atlas Labs within twenty minutes after they talked. They stepped from the vehicle and the air around them was warm from the heating pipes that ran under the sidewalks. Even though snow was falling steadily that day, the heat from the pipes kept every person on the sidewalks warm throughout the city. An Atlesian specialty.

Jace had that anxious feeling again, along with nervousness, looking up at that tall building. Seeming to sense his unease, Alyss laid her hand on Jace's shoulder. He calmed himself and nodded to her, and she smiled back. Jace took _Standoff_ from the trunk and put it in its place on his back. The three entered the building and drew curious looks and greetings from the workers there.

"Under normal circumstances, I would have asked you to stay outside," Ironwood said in regards to Alyss. "But I've noticed how you seem to keep Jace's emotions under control, so I'll allow you to be in here." He finished and the initiate felt heat rise in her.

"I-it's an honor that you're letting me be here, sir."

They reached the end of the hall and stepped into the elevator. Ironwood pressed a button on the panel and turned to Jace. "Your father… what was his name?" He asked, catching Jace off guard by the question.

"His name was Haile Reznor." Jace answered after a moment.

Ironwood's eyes went wide as he remembered the name. "Haile… I remember him. The missions he completed for us helped Atlas a great deal. He was a good man, you were lucky to have him as a father." He said, holding his head down to remember the man.

"I know… I just can't help but feel that I took him for granted." For the rest of the elevator ride, Jace and Ironwood bowed their heads at the memories of Haile.

After several moments, they arrived on the floor where they needed to be. Cybernetics and Prosthesis. They walked down the hall to where a scientist was waiting, reading from a large scroll.

"General Ironwood, a pleasure to see you. I take it this is the one you mentioned?" The man asked, looking at Jace with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes he is. Jace, this is Doctor Seabolte." The General introduced them.

"Hello sir, pleased to meet you." Jace greeted.

Seabolte grinned a bit. "Such good manners. I can tell you were raised well."

"Yeah… I can thank dad for that." Jace said with a sigh.

The doctor nodded and leaned a bit closer to him. "You have an anxious heart in you, I can tell," He said and led them to the lab.

At the door, he turned and regarded Alyss. "Mr. Ironwood, I thought you didn't allow civilians here?" Seabolte remarked.

"These two… share a type of connection. She keeps him calm when he is nervous or anxious. I thought it would be best for her to be by his side." Ironwood explained and turned to the two, who he noticed were holding their heads down rather shyly.

"Hmm, alright then. This way, please," Seabolte replied and he showed them into the lab.

"First, you have two choices. You can either have the arm be exposed, as in people can clearly see you have a prosthetic. Or you can choose to have synthetic skin, to hide it from the public eye."

Jace gave it some thought. After a moment, he decided that he didn't mind what other people thought about it. "I think I'll have it exposed. No sense in keeping it a secret."

Seabolte nodded and spent the next few minutes showing Jace the prosthetic that was made while Alyss sat quietly to the side, watching intently.

"Mr. Ironwood told us to make this with the military's specialized alloy. Strong, flexible, extremely durable, resistant to the elements. It will serve you well in the coming years, decades even. As he has already told you, this will drain your aura at first and you may experience severe pain. Your body may also try to reject it. If that comes to pass, we'll have to try this another day. And as he has surely told you, you will have to practice and get used to it,"

"We also took into account your semblance and the dust in you. With the way this arm is made, it will expand as you activate your semblance due to the segmented sections in it. Also, it has been made with each type of dust infused in it during construction. You'll be able to use that dust as if this was your real arm. Do still feel pain?"

Jace looked to him and then looked to his side. "Yeah. I still feel the pain in my fingertips sometimes. At Beacon, Ms. Goodwitch told me its called a phantom pain."

Seabolte gave Jace a small smile. "She would be right. Many amputees say that they still feel the pain of their lost limb. Some say it goes away quickly, others say they had to live with it for years without it going away." He let Jace hold the prosthetic while he turned to the General. "What about you, sir?"

Ironwood gave one look to his right side and gave a sad grin. "It's as if it never goes away for me. It's constant. Some days are worse than others." He answered and Seabolte moved to gather his equipment. He made the final preparations while Jace thought about what he had said.

"Are you ready for step one?" Seabolte asked.

Jace took a glance at him. "Step one?"

"Simply getting it attached." The doctor answered. Jace nodded firmly.

The prosthetic looked very smooth, as large as his right arm by the looks of it. It was black in color with silver trimmings along some edges of the segmented plates. Jace liked the simple look of it. The arm was attached simply enough, held onto the base by multiple locks. A few rods were pushed and locked into place as well and Jace felt a jolt in his shoulder.

"Hmm. I see that it hit the sensors," Seabolte remarked and locked the last rod in place.

"Alright. I'm about to switch it on. Are you ready?"

Jace closed his eyes as he took a deep breath. After a few moments, he nodded.

When it was activated, Jace felt nothing at first, only sensing his aura slightly decrease. Then it hit him like a charging Goliath. The arm started to massively drain his aura, causing his body to convulse and writhe in pain. He controlled his movements as best he could, clenching his teeth to keep from yelling out and making a tight fist with his right hand with fingernails biting into his skin.

Alyss was startled by it even though he knew it would happen. She moved next to him and tried to help by placing her hands on his shoulders. It didn't work as he still shook uncontrollably, so she hugged him as tight as she could. She pulled him close and pressed her head against his to hopefully calm him. She started pulsing her semblance through every part of her body that made contact with Jace. It seemed to have a great effect as Jace's body started to shake less and less, but it didn't stop completely. He started breathing in ragged gasps, then he clutched at his left shoulder under Alyss' embrace before he passed out from the ordeal.

As Jace was taken to a room on a lower floor to recuperate, with Alyss by his side, the scientist spoke to Ironwood. "Hmm, it seems you were right about the two of them, General. Never in my years have I witnessed someone's body start to calm down like that from aura drain." Seabolte remarked about the two teens.

"Yes, it _is_ quite remarkable. I have a feeling those two will be together for a long time."

* * *

Jace woke up in another room and was feeling very sore. He stared around the room, holding his head, then saw Alyss looking through the weapon catalog.

"The silence in these hospitals is gonna kill me." He said and gained Alyss' attention.

"Jace! You're awake! How are you feeling?" She asked and went to the seat closer to his side.

"Sore. Really, _really_ sore. How long have I been out?"

"It's been almost four hours, it's almost eight right now." She explained and set the catalog on the table next to them.

"Well, I slept good I guess." Jace remarked and turned to put his feet on the ground.

After a minute more, Ironwood walked into the room. "Good to see you're awake. Have you noticed anything different yet?"

When he asked that, Jace immediately looked to his left side. He stared wide-eyed for a few moments before he tried to move his new arm around, and it worked flawlessly.

"It seems the sensors are doing well." Ironwood remarked at the fluidity of the prosthetic's movements, "The prosthetics these days are very well made, very responsive, and will last a very long time. That one will last even longer." He continued as Jace moved his new arm around, setting it through its motions with a huge smile over his face. Alyss smiled warmly at seeing him look so happy. He clenched the fist, extended the fingers, bent the elbow, and reached as far a he could with it. It was almost like it was real.

"Now I can get to working out again. It's been… a long time since I really exercised." Jace remarked again.

* * *

Ironwood took Jace and Alyss back to the car. After that, they had a thirty minute drive to reach the outskirts of the city, then another thirty to reach Jace's house in the snowy forest.

"How did your house avoid the detection of Grimm?" Ironwood asked.

"I guess they're scared of the city being so close, plus we held them back so many times that they just got smart and stopped. The fact that it's freezing cold outside doesn't help them." Jace replied, a small smile spread on his face at the memories of fighting alongside his brother and father. "Do you think that we'll ever get rid of the Grimm, once and for all?"

Ironwood sighed deeply at the question. "I would like to hope that one day they will all just disappear. That they would leave us in peace. But I know that won't happen. So we all train the best defenders we can in hopes that we can achieve that one day," He shook his head slowly and looked straight ahead in front of the car. "I don't think that they will ever truly be gone, they will always be a thorn in our sides."

They arrived at the two-story house right after sunset. On the outside, it was a very simple design, made mostly out of wood. It had a small front porch with a wooden canopy over it, overlooking the front yard and driveway. The two lights on either side of the front door were turned off. It wasn't an overly large house, only large enough to suit Haile's needs at the time and extra space for if he needed it. When he found Genesis, and then Jace after him, Haile had converted two equipment rooms into bedrooms for the boys. Haile's room overlooked the driveway and theirs overlooked the back area of the property. To the right was the garage that should be housing Haile's truck. A large, four-door vehicle that he used frequently to bring groceries and other supplies back from city. Jace felt that lump in his throat again, this time it felt more prominent.

Ironwood and Jace shook hands. "It will take possibly three days for the _Ravensword_ to be prepared to make a return flight. Mostly, cargo will be unloaded and replaced with other items for transport, along with refueling. I trust you two will find something to do to occupy your time. And keep your noses clean while here," Ironwood said and then glanced at the top of Alyss' head.

"If someone is more than unpleasant toward your… ethnicity, ignore them, please."

"Don't worry, sir. I can tune those types of people out." Alyss responded with another one of her smiles.

"I might not be so… passive," Jace said with a grin, "If anything happens, I'm sorry in advance."

Ironwood gave a small grin and shook his head. "Doctor Seabolte will contact you in the future for an improvement to your prosthetic. He is working on it as we speak, but it will take a long while to complete. Also, I will give you his scroll number," Ironwood brought a piece of paper out and handed it to Jace, "In the event that you require adjustments. Or if you want to adjust it yourself, he gave me a small guide to give you as well." He stepped back to the car and reached in, then pulled out a small booklet.

Jace took the piece of paper and booklet. He looked at the number on the paper for a moment and nodded his head to Ironwood. "Thank you, sir." Jace said and pocketed the paper.

"This is not something we have for everyone." The General explained and brought up his own right arm, looking at it with a smaller grin. "Only a select few people are allowed this. For what you've done, you are one of them."

Jace smiled and nodded to his old headmaster. "I really appreciate this. What kind will it be?"

Ironwood gave a knowing smile toward him. "It will be a secret, but you will appreciate it when it is completed." Iroonwood replied and turned to leave, "I'll leave you two now. Rest well." He stepped back into the car and left.

The two initiates stood in front of his house with Jace hesitating before going to the door.

"You alright, Jace?"

Jace felt the lump go away from his throat at the sound of Alyss' voice.

"Yeah, I'm good. Thanks for asking." Jace replied and stepped to the door.

"I guess it wouldn't be too smart to stand out here in the freezing-cold snow, would it?" Jace asked her.

"No. I guess not." Alyss laughed.

Jace smiled at the sound and stepped to the door, then opened it. It looked like it had before he had left it. "I guess they got dad from his apartment in the city." Jace said to Alyss, who looked around the home with interest. Jace reached over and flipped two switches. One for lights, and one for heat.

"Your dad had two places?" Alyss asked softly.

"Yeah. If we were far into the city for more than a day, we'd stay at his place there. It's smaller than this house." Jace said and he looked around.

The two walked through the house and turned the lights on, seeing pictures on the walls, antique weapon replicas, and fake, mounted Grimm heads. They walked all throughout the house to the rooms upstairs. His room, Genesis' room, and their father's room, just wondering around aimlessly.

In Genesis' room, Jace found his brother's old red and white bandanna that he used to clean _Standoff_. He picked it up, clutching it in his metal hand, and then attempted to tie it around his right bicep. It took him a long while to do it, failing multiple times at grabbing an end the right way and getting it wrapped right. When he finally did it, he looked at the prosthetic.

"This is gonna be fun." He said dryly to himself.

He glanced around and saw a wrench sitting on the desk. He went wide-eyed at the sight. It took everything in him to keep from punching himself in the face out of stupidity.

"Oh damn! I can't believe I forgot!" Jace said and took Alyss' hand to lead her to the garage.

"What is it?" Alyss asked, not even protesting to being pulled through the house.

"Oh you'll see!"

He walked her out to the garage next to the house. He opened the side door and turned the lights and heat on. Jace saw his father's truck, sitting and collecting dust. That wasn't what he was there for, though. He led Alyss past it and looked at the tarp covering his brother's motorcycle. He removed the tarp and looked over the bike.

Genesis called it _Titan_ , which made sense. It was a rather large motorcycle. It was a feet-forward style of motorcycle with a wide back wheel that consisted of two skinnier wheels, and a front wheel that was the size one of those wheels. The engine of it was completely exposed and colored matte black with the rest of it. The rims of the tires were completely solid with no spokes to see through, colored dark green to match Genesis' aura. Both tires had chains wrapped around them for greater traction in the snow, the same with Haile's truck. It had been modified to have a long compartment on either side to open to store his sword when he rode it. The compartments were pressed against the body of the bike, extending from the front of the front wheel to the middle of the back. At the moment, they were very thin since they held nothing at that time. When it was ridden, the cases went out from the body for the rider's legs to rest between the body of the motorcycle and the cases. Both cases were custom ordered and were made to be modified for anything smaller or larger to fit inside them. All the parts were in the garage for it too. It had a lever on the right side to kick-start it also, but in was out of the way of the case as well. With the touch of someone's aura, or the press of a button on the handlebars, the cases would open up and expand, giving Genesis the ability to store _Standoff_ , and the other compartment to store whatever Jace could've created.

Jace opened the compartment on the right and placed _Standoff_ inside, smiling widely as it fit perfectly as it should.

"Wow… so this is what you're so excited about." Alyss remarked as she looked over the motorcycle.

"Yeah, it is. It was Genesis' motorcycle before… well, you know. He called it _Titan_. For both its size and the sound of its engine," Jace replied and smiled even more.

"He wanted to have a a suicide shifter before, but he decided for an automatic rather than manual so he didn't have to multitask." Jace continued and Alyss looked at him in confusion.

"Um, what's a suicide shifter?" She asked and tilted her head slightly.

"It's just a shifter for your hand instead of your foot," Jace explained the best he could, "I think it's called that because you have to take a hand off the handlebars to change gears."

"Ooohhh. Okay, that makes sense I guess." She replied and Jace let out an excited laugh.

"Oh Dust, this is great!" He said as he took his sword out of the case. He wondered if he could take it back to Vale with him, which they'd more than likely let him.

He decided he should drive it around to see if it could still run after months of sitting there. Both Genesis and himself had learned to ride it after it was built up to run, but they still never got to drive it around much, even with the travelling they did in the capital. They stayed at their dorm for the school week, then on Fridays they boarded an airbus to the outermost airdocks and Haile met them and took them home. Their teammates were never there during those times to complain about it, so they decided to study in the comfort of their own home over the weekends. Ironwood allowed it for most of his students and just told them he'd let them know if they were needed back. Then in the late hours of Sundays, Haile would drive them back into the city where they boarded an airbus back to the academy.

Jace placed his sword back inside the case again and shut it in. The case conformed to the size of the blade smoothly, then Jace hopped on when he made the cases extend from _Titan_. The motorcycle was originally in a scrap heap that Genesis had found four years before. He had it brought back to their home to work on it in his spare time, which he did almost religiously. He built it back up from the base frame, buying the parts he needed with money from small jobs. He only had the chance to ride it a few times before they were kidnapped.

Jace stomped on the lever to start it. It took a few tries to get everything inside of it warmed up and loosened, but he eventually got it going. He jumped and screamed in pain at the loudness of it and turned it off quickly, then held his hands over his ears.

"Ow… Gods that's louder than I remember." He mumbled as he rubbed his ears.

 _"Wait… if it hurt my ears, then…"_

His head bolted straight as his eyes went wide. He turned back to Alyss and saw her hunched over slightly with her head hung low, her eyes clenched shut, her hands covering her cat ears. She was shaking.

Jace stepped off _Titan_ and regarded her with worry. "Oh Gods I'm so sorry! I should've warned you about how loud it would be." He said and stepped toward her.

She opened her eyes and took her hands off her ears as she took a deep breath. "It's… it's okay. I should've known from when you said it was named for its sound too." She stopped shaking and straightened herself out.

Jace sighed and shook his head. "I guess I just got so excited that I didn't think," He said quietly and offered a small grin, "If it makes you feel better, it hurt my ears too."

"It really doesn't… Do they still hurt?"

"Yeah, they do… How do you handle these loud noises when they happen?" Jace asked.

"You just have to get used to it. I'm not used to your motorcycle and it hurt, but if I listen enough, then I can handle it." She answered him and reached her hands up to his ears.

"W-what are you doing?" Jace asked and felt his cheeks redden.

"You said your ears still hurt," She said and cupped her hands around them, "I want to help with it."

As her hands cupped around his ears, Jace could admit that they felt amazing and comfortably soft. Her palms pressed softly against his ears and her fingertips were pressed just behind them. Then, he started feeling the soothing and warm sensation of her semblance covering them. As she worked with soothing his pain, she looked into his eyes and he looked back. Jace was entranced by her blue and green orbs and lost his voice, felling an urge to do _something_. He didn't know what that urge was, but he stopped feeling pain in his ears and didn't think on it.

"I-I think they're good now… thanks." Jace said quietly and Alyss took her hands from his ears.

"You're welcome," She smiled warmly, "Do you want to try with your motorcycle again?"

"Are you okay with it?" Jace asked, still feeling the hotness in his cheeks.

"It'll be fine," She assured him, "I can get used to it."

Jace nodded and stepped back toward _Titan_. "Alright. Just be ready."

"Okay. I'm ready for it." She said as Jace opened the garage door.

He walked back and straddled his motorcycle again. He took a deep breath and turned to Alyss. "Ready?"

"Ready."

Jace nodded and stomped on the side lever, igniting the engine and filling the air with the noise. He cringed as the sound blared in his ears, then he turned around to Alyss. She had her hands over her ears again and was standing a bit straighter than before. She nodded to him and he held his hand out to her.

"Wanna ride?" He asked her over the roar of the engine and held his hand out to her.

She nodded and slowly took her hands from her ears. She stepped forward and took his hand with a smile. Jace helped her onto _Titan_ and when she was settled, he drove it forward. He went slowly at first, getting the feel for it, then he gunned it down the path to the road. He didn't know how, but he was able to ride it with ease after being away from it for so long, turning sharply through some trees before he went back into the driveway.

"Alyss. How's your ears?" Jace asked his companion.

"They're getting there." She answered him.

"Do you like it?"

"Yeah. It's fun. Thanks for bringing me here." She replied and gripped his waist more tightly.

 _"And there's that feeling again."_ Jace thought to himself as his chest started to tighten. He started to try and piece together what the feeling was, but was still unsure about it all.

They nearly reached the road back to the city when Jace turned around to head back. After a few minutes, they arrived and Jace parked _Titan_ back in the garage next to the truck and closed it up, looking around to see if there was anything else he should get. He eventually found a pair of riding goggles and placed them around his neck.

"That was really cold. But I'm so glad it still works." Jace said with a wide smile.

"I'm glad you told me to bring warm clothes." Alyss smiled toward him.

They left the garage and went back to Genesis' room. Jace started to look around some more, then set his eyes on a box near the bed. He debated whether or not to open it, but decided to do it. What he found in it brought a small, sad smile over his face. The first thing he saw was something that Genesis made a long time ago.

"What's that?" Alyss asked as she stood over where he kneeled.

"You can sit on the bed if you want." Jace said when he turned to show her the item. She nodded and sat down on the bed, crossing her legs as she sat straight up.

Jace reached the item up to her. "This is the first weapon that Genesis ever made. He called it _Atronach_. The lights on it light up for different dust rounds whenever you pull the hammer back." Jace said as she held the revolver in her hand and looked it over.

"I'd like to see it when it's loaded. It sounds like it'd be pretty." Alyss handed the pistol back to him.

It was little more than an experiment, for Genesis to see if he could make something for himself. He had also used it for target practice at the time. With different dust shells, the colors of the lines along the cylinder and barrel would change to reflect that dust type. Jace held the revolver and spun the cylinder, counting twelve empty chambers for its very small rounds. He took the gun and set it on the desk, then looked through the box more.

The next thing he found was a few pictures that Haile had taken of them, training and otherwise goofing off. One picture showed them both training with each other, 'sword fighting' with branches of small trees. Another showed them both celebrating a successful training mission from when they went to the combat school. That training mission being a virtual simulation that put them both in pods that disabled your motor functions while their minds were sent through different scenarios. One being taking down a Nevermore with their own weapons. It seemed like a lifetime ago that any of that happened. Back then, Jace sported a short mohawk on his head while Genesis had decided to let his hair grow out.

 _"Gods I looked like an idiot with that."_ Jace thought to himself and smiled.

"Here's some pictures if you wanna see them." He held them toward Alyss.

She took them and looked through them, smiling at each one. "You both really trained like that in the snow?" Alyss asked.

Jace smiled at the memory. "Yeah, we did. When you live on Solitas, you have to get used to the cold. Or just have a bunch of clothes laced with burn dust."

"Sounds like a smart thing to do," Alyss looked at her hands, "Maybe I need gloves like that for the winter. My hands get extremely cold."

"It definitely helps."

"Why didn't Genesis have any jacket on?" She asked.

"That was a while after Gen discovered his semblance. The passive ability of it always kept him warm. That's why he started wearing a sleeveless duster."

Alyss looked back to the pictures and grinned at the Mohawk Jace had. "You two were really close, weren't you?"

"Yeah, we were. Ever since dad found us, we did pretty much did everything together. We ate, trained, watched tv and movies, played video games when we could. Hell, he held himself back for two years back at the combat school so he wouldn't get ahead of me with training, so we could stay even and help each other out. We trained almost every day and never beat each other. I really miss those days." Jace said and Alyss handed back the pictures.

"So you were both orphans?"

"Yeah… I guess I'm back to being one now too." The sadness in Jace's voice was evident.

Alyss bent down and gave him a firm hug, "Hey, it's alright. You have new friends now and you're about to have a team to be with. And you have m-" She caught herself before she could say 'Me,' and continued, "You have a home at Beacon. I think things are getting better for you." She finished and kept hugging him.

 _"Why did I almost say 'me?'"_ She asked herself in her head.

Jace sat in her embrace, thinking over what she said until he felt his heart ease. He returned the hug after a moment and they stayed like that for more than a bit longer. "Thanks for that, Alyss. I'm glad you're here." Jace said and just let the moment happen for as long as it could.

"Me too, Jace." The Faunus girl replied and after a few more moments, they separated and smiled at each other.

Jace started to look through the box again when he started to talk. "I think Ironwood was right about you. You've kept me calm whenever I felt uneasy today and you just make me feel better… so much better than what I have been." He said sincerely.

"And that makes me happy." Alyss replied softly and sat on the bed again.

The last thing in the box was deck of cards with images of dragons on the backs of them. Jace picked them up and looked at them for a few moments. He remembered the card game that he and Genesis had played. It was a game where one player had to get the highest score by playing cards of a set, or by grouping up the same cards from each type, either diamond, spade, club, or heart. He put the deck of cards next to the pictures and the revolver, then stood up, tears filling his eyes at the happy memories he had. He left _Atronach_ on the desk next to _Twin Fang_ , and then showed Alyss to Haile's room. Jace saw a painting on the wall that he always loved as a child, which now seemed like it had more meaning to him.

"That's a nice painting…" Alyss remarked as they looked at it.

It was a painting of a battle in which a warrior with one white wing fought another warrior, but with one withering black wing. Around them were trees that grew in an arch and held purple fruit on them. The story behind it was that the two were friends once, they grew up together but ultimately went on separate roads, eventually clashing time and time again until they could fight no longer.

"Remember when I told you about the Angel that saved my life?" Jace asked as he stared at the painting.

"Yeah. Why?"

Jace thought for a moment and sighed. "This painting was my favorite thing to look at as a kid. _The Gift Of The Goddess_. Looking at this, then remembering the Angel that saved me, it just feels weird to look at now. I don't know why."

Jace looked around the room and eventually saw his father's old weapon. It was a great, double-sided battleaxe that had a flexible haft to it, allowing it to whip back and forth at his aura's command. It was called _Tailaxe_ , a weapon that Haile made in his time as a Huntsman. Jace didn't take it, he decided to leave it on the wall where it was displayed. Haile also had a simpler double-barrel, pump-action shotgun named _Carnage_.

Something immediately clicked in Jace's mind. The legend of the One-Winged Angels said that an Angel would come from the heavens and save a being in great strife, giving them a second chance at their life. The Angel that saved Jace used a shotgun exactly like his father's. He went to pick the gun up from the corner and looked it over.

"That Angel had the exact same gun from the looks of it…" Jace said and caught Alyss' attention.

"Really? That… doesn't sound like a coincidence, does it?" Alyss asked and stepped over to where Jace held _Carnage_.

"I really don't know. If it was him though, I'm glad he was still looking out for me." Jace replied with a small smile, then put the shotgun on the the bed.

Alyss sat on the bed while Jace looked around the room some more. In Haile's desk, he found a spare cylinder that Haile had made for _Atronach_ as a gift for Genesis. It only had six shots to it, but could take larger and more powerful rounds. It was a bonus when he noticed that the cylinder was full.

"Hey Alyss, you'll get to see _Atronach_ light up sometime."

He placed the cylinder in his pocket and started to think again, this time about what he had read about dust. Before he tried anything, he spoke to his future teammate.

"I read something a few days ago about the different types of dust. And after that, I read about how someone made dustblades using their aura and some powdered dust. So, I want to try something." Jace explained to her.

"And you told me so I wouldn't be confused when you try it?" Alyss replied with a grin.

"Yeah, that's pretty much it," Jace said, then set himself to try his experiment. "I figured that if someone made a sword out of their aura and dust, then I should be able to do the same with the dust inside me…" He explained further and held his hands out in front of him and focused his aura into them.

He felt his aura pulsate from his palms and he began to move his left hand from his other. He started to see the dust take shape in the form of a sword hilt and he took hold of it with his right hand. He kept his focus and started to see the base of the blade take shape as well, then he slowly moved his left hand outward.

The dark-brown, stone-like blade grew as his hand moved and soon he had a complete sword. Jace realized he was holding his breath and he exhaled as he looked at the blade. It was rough and jagged looking, almost as long as _Standoff_ and not nearly as wide.

"That actually worked!" Jace said excitedly, right before it disintegrated in his hand. "I just need a lot of practice with it."

"That's a cool thing to be able to do. You've got your own arsenal of weapons to use." Alyss said while she ran her fingers through the dust on the floor, then it started to dissipate.

"I'm definitely ready if something happens, that's for sure."

After going through the upper floor of the house, Jace and Alyss sat in the living room. Jace practiced a few more times with his newfound ability, making both claymores and longswords out of earth dust.

"Are you gonna keep making earth dust swords, or are you gonna try any different dust?" Alyss asked as she watched him practice.

"Not until I know exactly what I'm doing. I'm not risking burning this house down." Jace said and finished making the last sword of the night.

After that sword dissipated and the dust on the floor disappeared, Jace leaned against the cushions of the couch.

To remove the silence from the room, Jace turned on the radio and they both listened to any station that came in, which turned out to be a Rock station that Jace knew of. It played mostly Rock music, but they were know to play songs of different genres at times.

"I'm sorry if you don't like this type of music, but it's the only thing I can get apparently." Jace said as he sat back down.

"Oh I don't mind. There's a lot of music I like." Alyss remarked at the genre that played, and then stayed silent, thinking about the day that went by.

Neither of them knew what they wanted to say to each other about what they felt in them. It didn't help the feeling at all that they were sitting next to each other. But it was a comfortable feeling for them both.

"You know, I think you're the friendliest person I've ever met." Alyss said after a few minutes. Minutes that felt like hours.

"Honestly, I think the same way about you," Jace smiled toward her, "I mean, out of nowhere you just came up to me with a smile on your face and offered to heal my arm. I felt comfortable with telling you everything that happened to me," Jace said, then realized something and sighed as he lost the smile. "Except for one thing."

Alyss saw the pain suddenly mask his face. "There's something I haven't told you either, but now I think I want to tell you." She said and took a deep breath.

"If it's something bad, are you sure you want to tell me?"

She nodded her head firmly. "I want to get it off my chest, then maybe it'll be easier to deal with."

Jace nodded. "Alright, only if you're sure."

She took a few moments to gather what she wanted to say. "I told you that my mom gave me _Soul Leaf_ after certain things happened. It had to do with my… father. He was a very horrible man that absolutely hated humans and… he was a very violent drunk,"

After she said 'violent drunk,' Jace's body tensed. He knew where this was going.

"He hated the fact that I had human friends back in Vacuo. When I was ten, he went out and got drunk at some bar downtown. Before that, it was on and off, he came home drunk and shouted abuse at my mom and me, then he smacked mom a lot, then he… just hit me with his fists. That was before my aura was unlocked. She was always afraid to do something because of the bad friends he had, but this time it was a lot worse. He came home at four in the morning, drunk out of his mind and he smelled like horrible whiskey and sweat. They got into a huge argument and he went to hit her, but…" She paused and closed her eyes at the horrible memory.

"Dust… you don't… you don't have to keep going if you don't want to." Jace said and looked to her. Hearing this made his eyes start to water as well.

"No, it's alright. I said I needed to get it off my chest," She said and gathered her thoughts again.

"Mom grabbed a knife from the counter and stabbed his arm before he hit her. I was asleep and heard something crash in the living room. I ran out of my room and I saw her laying there with splinters and pieces of the table around her. I saw him holding something in his hand close to her ears and I yelled at him to stop. He started walking toward me and went to kick me. I moved out of the way but I tripped over a part of the table and fell… I hit the back of my head on something and started to bleed really bad, then he was standing over me with a knife near my ears…" She took a sharp breath and blinked tears from her eyes. "H-he was gonna… cut them off… He said that we didn't deserve to be Faunus because of what mom taught me, because of the friends I had…"

The tears started to fall as she stopped and moved her hair out of the way to reveal a bad looking scar at the base of one of her cat ears. Jace stared in shock as his voice caught in his throat.

"I felt the knife bite into my ear and I screamed so loudly that I think it hurt his ears. He stepped back from me and held his hands over them. During that, mom ended up getting _Soul Leaf_ and she ran at him, she stabbed his hand all the way through. After he yelled at her more, she transformed it and pointed the gun at him, telling him to get out and never come back. After he ran off, she called an ambulance and I was taken to a hospital. After I got better and mom gave me _Soul Leaf,_ I started going back to combat school. She was gonna give it to me for my birthday in December that year, but after that… she thought it would be best to give it to me sooner,"

"Mom told me _'The only thing that will protect you in this world is the weapon in your hands.'_ After I graduated, we moved here and I was set and ready and prepared to go to Beacon. But… mom got involved in a car crash and she was in the hospital for a few months. I missed the deadline to send my transcripts while I was with her. Thankfully, she's back home now and getting better. I'm glad that Ozpin is letting me take an initiation like this." After telling Jace everything, she wiped at her eyes with her hand.

"Oh, Gods… I'm sorry you had to deal with that abuse." Jace said and leaned over to give her a hug.

"Thank you, Jace. Saying that did make me feel a bit better." Alyss said as she returned the hug. After another moment, they broke contact and Jace spoke.

"Maybe you're right. I think I should tell you about what happened while we were escaping."

Alyss sat up in attention. "Are you sure?"

Jace nodded. "Yeah, I am. You told me that and I want to tell you this. I think you deserve to hear it after saying all that." Alyss nodded for him to continue.

"Where to start…" Jace sighed and shook his head slowly. "Well, we broke out of our cell and we started looking for the person that had us taken. We found his lab and his journal… along with everyone he experimented on and kept alive…" Jace paused and shuddered at the memories of the cries he heard.

"We went and we saw what he did to them all. They were… horribly disfigured, some were in comas and were crystallized from the dust experiments. Some had Grimm DNA put in them. Some had skulls the shape of a Nevermore of Griffon. Some were just disfigured in other ways… Gods, that almost happened to us…" Jace shook his head from that thought and continued, "We stood there for a long time before we thought of what to do. After a while, I… pulled out my pistol. I-if we just left them, they would've starved or been eaten by the Grimm or they would've stayed there for if those people came back…"

Jace felt the tears and the sickness building from the memory. He started to stutter with his words as he continued on. "Th-they were suffering… and I-I-I thought that it was the right thing to do… S-so we…" Jace paused and put his head in his hands, and shook his head. He felt Alyss' hand on his back and he lifted his head back up, now stinging with tears.

"W-we went and… we killed them all. We put them at rest so they wouldn't suffer anymore. I-I don't know if I can ever live peacefully with that. Their families might never know what happened to them. We just… we just wanted to do the right thing." Jace finished in little more than a wimper and laid his head in his hands again.

Time passed as the radio played through the room, providing the only noise for a few moments. Then, Alyss did something he didn't expect.

She wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

"Jace, I think you did a good thing. If you ignored them, you would've let them suffer and die slowly. I'm sure if they could, they would thank you." She spoke in a soft and soothing voice, shaking him from his thoughts.

"Y-you mean… you don't think I'm a monster?" He asked in what was barely a whisper.

Alyss shook her head and hugged him more tightly. "Of course not. You're a good person, still. You gave them their own freedom. If you were in their place, what would you want?"

"I would've wanted the same, I guess." Jace answered weakly.

She stopped hugging him and Jace leaned back on the couch. Then, Alyss laid her head on his shoulder.

"We both have invisible wounds, I guess." Alyss said and they both sunk their minds into the moment.

Jace sighed and leaned his head against the top of Alyss', mindful of her ears. It made them both feel heat rise in them, made the pressure build in Jace's chest, but it also put them at ease from the horrible memories of their pasts. So it continued for the entire time until they fell asleep.

The last song that played was softer than the others that were on the radio station.

 _'All this hurt can finally fade…'_

 _'Promise me you'll never feel afraid…'_

Those were the last words Jace heard on the song before he fell asleep.

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: And that's the first day in Atlas down, ending on feels for them both. Jace needed to say that sooner or later. If he kept it bottled inside of him, it would've ended badly. They traded the knowledge of their pasts and are better for it.**

 **And Jace got his shiny new arm! I hope I made that believable in how prosthetics may work on Remnant. I think that's how it could happen, at least with full limb prosthetics like this one. And for the dustblades, it's something that'll take a lot of practice.**

 **And for the motorcycle, I hope it doesn't seem like I'm trying to make it better than Bumblebee. I'm really not trying to do that.**

 **Also, the song at the last bit. It's from _Fiction_ by Avenged Sevenfold.**

 **See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	15. Chapter 14: A Date In Atlas

**A Date In Atlas**

Jace woke up in the morning with a low yawn, ending in a short growl. To be truthful, he felt refreshed. It was the best nights sleep he's had in a long time.

He wondered if what happened the night before was just a dream spawned from his tiredness from the prosthetic draining his aura. The way he and Alyss took comfort in each other after what they had told just had him thinking it had to have been a dream. He found himself hoping it was real. When he started to wake up more, he noticed that his arm was wrapped around something. He looked around and saw his right arm was draped around Alyss' shoulders while she slept, her head leaning on his chest.

She looked so peaceful as she was leaning against him. Her breathing had a smooth rhythm to it and every so often, a small rumbling noise escaped her chest. Jace was very hesitant to leave the couch they slept on, he felt like he wanted this to last forever as that feeling rose in his chest. With a sigh, he removed his arm from around her and stood up, laying her down softly on the couch as he rose.

As Jace walked across the living room, he gave one look back to Alyss and he smiled at seeing her look so peaceful. He turned and walked through the house toward the bathroom, running the fingers of his right hand through his hair and beard.

"My hair grew so much…" He said to himself as he stepped into the bathroom. He looked in the mirror and thought he looked like a homeless man with his long, messy hair and thick beard.

"Yeah… I'm gonna need to do something about this." He said. Then, for the first time, he noticed his own eyes.

He leaned in closer to the mirror, looked deep into his own eyes, and sighed.

"Red and blue…" He said to himself. With the Faunus DNA mixed with his, it seemed like they glowed a bit in the lighting. His right eye was red, but his left was sky-blue, just like Ruby and the others had said.

Just like his father's.

* * *

With a yawn, Alyss woke up and looked around the room, seeing no sign of the boy she used as a pillow the night before.

 _"Was it a dream or something?"_ She wondered sadly, then shook her head.

No, she knew it was definitely real. She felt unbelievably happy the night before when they were so close on the couch, letting their minds and souls have comfort in each other. She didn't know why she felt this way about Jace, they had only met two days before and just last night they slept together on the couch. She felt heat rise up in her cheeks and a tightness in her chest at the thoughts in her mind. Did she already care about him more than just a friend? Did she want to tell Jace about how she felt?

Did she want to be with him?

All of those thoughts flowed in her mind and she smiled to herself. _"I only met him two days ago and I think I'm in love with him."_

She had a boyfriend before, a year ago before she moved to Vale. But they both decided that it would be too difficult for them to have a long distance relationship and they broke up on good terms and stayed friends. The last she had heard, he found someone that he was happy with, and it made her glad that he found someone.

Maybe she felt an empty feeling within her and she wanted someone to love like that again. But Alyss had never felt this way about him that she is feeling with Jace now. She started to wonder where Jace was when he emerged from the hallway at the other side of the living room.

"Oh, good morning, Alyss." He said and smiled.

She stared with wide eyes at the fresh-looking face that stood across the room. Before, his hair had reached to below his shoulders, thick and uncared for. _"That makes sense, he said he was in a coma for a month and couldn't take care of it for months before that. And the beard was just so thick before…"_ Alyss thought _._ All of that, along with the darkness that was under his eyes, made him seem older than what he truly was.

Now that he had cleaned himself up, his hair was just at shoulder length and combed thoroughly, his face was completely clean shaven, and now there was color around his eyes again, making the ruby-red and sky-blue stand out more. Alyss was shocked at the transformation, and she thought he looked very handsome now that he was shaved and well rested.

Jace started to feel the pressure in his chest again as she stared at him. "Umm… Alyss?" He said and tilted his head.

She snapped out of her momentary trance at hearing his voice. "Oh! Good morning Jace! Uh, you look a lot different."

"Yeah, and I feel a lot better too. I slept really good. That, along with shaving, trimming my hair, and taking a good shower, I feel really fresh," Jace said and then rubbed the back of his neck, "And, I'm not gonna lie, but… I really enjoyed how we slept last night." He said shyly and with a small smile.

Alyss looked at him with wide eyes at what he said, then gave her own smile, "I can't deny that I really liked it too." She replied and looked away.

Jace was stunned for a moment before he turned back to her. "W-well, umm… Do you want to take a shower while I try to fix us something to eat?"

"Umm, yeah, that'll be good." She replied and Jace led her to the bathroom, then he went to the kitchen. While Alyss stood and looked at herself in the mirror, she started to speak to herself.

"Oh Oum. I have a lot to think about."

* * *

Jace looked through the kitchen and gathered materials for a simple breakfast of scrambled eggs. Surprisingly, none of the food had gone bad. Either that, or General Ironwood took his kindness a step further and had the food in the house replaced before his prosthetic was ready. That seemed the most likely solution, there was no way that the food would've survived for so many months. He turned the oven on to make sure it still worked, then turned it off while he made coffee. He started to think as he mixed up everything needed for scrambled eggs in a bowl.

He was feeling good in a way that he had never felt before, and it all came from the ash-blonde cat Faunus that was taking a shower down the hall. Very slowly, he tried to piece together what the feeling was and why he felt that way. He felt that he was actually in love with her.

 _"But I only met her two days ago!"_ Jace thought to himself in surprise.

 _"But… she healed my arm and she just makes me so happy. I'm actually really happy again because of her."_

She had been so kind to him, the kindest person he believed he's ever met other than his father that saved him when he was young and his brother that promised he'd never be alone again. Every time Alyss did a certain thing or said something specific, he started to feel that pressure build in his chest, and it made him feel strange but happy. _"Maybe his promise didn't break…"_ He thought lastly before he turned the oven on and poured the mix of the eggs into the pan, then he focused only on that.

A few minutes later, the scrambled eggs were done and their drink was starting to come from the top of the coffee maker. He grabbed a glass from the cupboard with his left hand and brought it down to clean it, but it shattered at the accidental force Jace put into grabbing it.

The shattering and the sound of glass hitting the floor made him jump from surprise. "Hmm," He grunted in annoyance and looked at his prosthetic. "Son of a Grimm, I forgot about that."

He grabbed two more glasses from the cupboard with right hand this time and went to clean the broken glass from the floor. He wrapped them in paper towels and put them in the garbage can, then went back to preparing breakfast. He heard the water in the bathroom stop and he put bread in the toaster, then sighed as he went back to his thoughts.

"Damn, never thought I'd feel this way about someone." He said to himself.

After a minute of waiting for the toast, Alyss walked into the living room. The kitchen and living room were only separated by a waist-high wall and a countertop.

"I hope you like scrambled eggs, toast, and coffee. Because this is all I know how to make." Jace said to her as she looked in her bag for her brush.

"Oh that's fine. It's enough to survive, right?" She said with a smile and started brushing her hair.

"Yeah, but f I had some ramen noodles, I could do a lot with that." Jace replied, then just watched her for a moment, seeing her ears twitch with each slight touch of the brush. He shook his head and started to put the eggs and toast on plates and took them to the living room.

He set the plates down on the table. "You want honey in your coffee?"

"I can try it. Is it good?" Alyss asked while working on a stubborn knot in her hair.

"I think it's pretty amazing. It gives it a sweeter taste I think," Jace said and went to our the coffee, "You wouldn't happen to have any hairbands, would you?"

* * *

After eating their breakfast and changing clothes, they were ready to head into Atlas for a while.

Alyss wore a pair of form-fitting dark purple jeans, her black sneakers and a black sweatshirt under her white hoodie. She wore her silver necklace that was her oakleaf emblem. Jace let her borrow a pair of spare gloves he had that were laced with burn dust to keep her hands warm.

Jace had on black cargo pants, his black boots and an old, black, sleeveless hoodie over his jacket, with a large cross design on the back. Around his neck were his riding goggles and two necklaces. The wolf head pendant and his father's cross. And lastly, on his right shoulder, was his spaulder. He now had his hair in a short ponytail as well, with a small bit of shorter hair hanging over the right side of his face, almost over his eye.

"That coffee was really good. Thanks for that." Alyss said and shut the door behind her.

"I told you it's amazing. Anyways, where should we head first?" Jace asked as they made their way toward the garage, their feet crunching the snow underneath them.

"We could try to find that weapon museum first, then the mall maybe?"

Jace shrugged his shoulders. "Sounds good. We can go to a restaurant after all that too." He said and swung his leg over _Titan_ after the cases extended out.

"How does your motorcycle stay up like that without a kickstand?"

"I… really don't know. Some gyro-something core or whatever Genesis got for it. All I know is it stays balanced. Might be how I can drive it easy. Now come on, we got all day to talk." Jace said with a smile and held his hand out.

Alyss took it and he helped her swing onto the motorcycle. They made sure that Alyss' staff was held firmly by the two straps on the side of the left case, then Jace stomped on the lever and took off down the driveway.

The morning was extremely cold, but was made a bit more tolerable by the heat of the sun. The heating pipes under the highway helped a great deal as well. Jace had scrounged up two helmets in the garage for them both to use to be as safe as they can. They were both black in color, and Alyss had to position the helmet and her ears to where it wouldn't be too uncomfortable on her as Jace didn't have any Faunus-special helmets.

Jace weaved through the surprisingly light traffic on the main highway until they arrived in the city. After going into the city a ways, Jace pulled into a small parking lot. He turned the engine off and regarded Alyss.

"So, how was it?" He asked and slipped his goggles off as she started to dismount _Titan_.

"Nothing I've experienced before… that's for sure." She said and slid uneasily from behind him, her legs were wobbling as they hit the ground and she had a red tint to her cheeks that Jace didn't notice.

"Yeah, it's something else when the engine of a vehicle is right under you." Jace remarked and dismounted.

"Mmhmm." Alyss hummed in agreement and went to sit on the bench she saw.

"Anyways, I think we need some directions to that place. I don't wanna waste gas driving around not knowing where I'm going." Jace and followed her over.

They took their helmets off and sat down so Alyss could research the location of the weapon gallery while she also regained proper control of her body. "Do the heating pipes go everywheres under the ground?" She asked as she searched.

"Yeah, they do. Even under the roads too, to keep the snow from freezing and causing wrecks." Jace answered.

"It makes sense, I guess. Grimm are rare here too, aren't they?"

"Pretty much. There wasn't much that we had to kill to keep our house safe."

"If it wasn't so cold, it would be the perfect place to live, really." Alyss said thoughtfully.

"Are your ears still ringing?" Jace asked, "Because mine are."

"Yeah, they are. On the bright side, I'm getting used to the noise." Alyss answered.

As they sat there, Jace noticed glares cast toward them from passerby. After a few more moments of sitting by while it happened, he was growing annoyed. "You find it yet? I'm seriously about to run and spear the next person I see giving us a death glare."

Alyss gave him a giggle and shook her head. "Just ignore them, it's probably mostly toward me anyways. But yeah, I found it. You ready to go?"

The smile she gave calmed Jace down and made him smile as well. "Dust, please." They strapped the helmets back on and got on the bike, then took off toward their destination.

"How are you so calm about people like that?" Jace asked loudly over the noise of _Titan's_ engine.

"I just think that people who hate people for no other reason than looks or race aren't worth acknowledging. It's actually really sad."

They came to a red light and Jace straightened his back while they waited, with his hands on his lap. "That's a really good way to look at it. If you don't mind me asking, why don't you heal that scar on your ear?"

"I… I just think that it's something I shouldn't forget, so I kept it. It's not something people can be distracted by, so I don't mind."

Jace thought on her response while he still waited. "Didn't think about it like that." He said and the light finally turned green.

After another hour of driving through traffic, they arrived at the surprisingly simple looking gallery. Other than two statues of warriors slaying Grimm in front of it, there was nothing remarkable about the entrance.

Alyss slid off the motorcycle and placed her hand on it to steady herself. "Can we… rest for a minute?" She requested and took a shaky breath as she took her helmet off.

"What's wrong?" Jace asked in worry at seeing her look uneasy.

"It's nothing. I'm just… not used to riding a motorcycle at all." She said and straightened up with a blush on her face, one that Jace noticed this time. "It's just… the um…" Alyss blushed harder and looked away from him. "The engine being under us and all…"

It took Jace a moment, but he began to understand what she meant as he slowly took his helmet off. He felt a blush rise in his cheeks. "Oh… I-um, I don't…" Jace stuttered over his words and looked to the ground. "I didn't think that would happen. Sorry." He said quietly as the heat in his cheeks intensified.

"It's… okay," Alyss regained more of her composure and gave a smile. "I didn't think it would either. I just need to get used to it, I guess."

They both waited until they were recovered from the embarrassing moment and retrieved their weapons. Jace retrieved _Standoff_ and placed it on his back, and Alyss unstrapped _Soul Leaf_ and walked with it as a simple staff with the end tapping the ground in rhythm with her right foot. They walked into the building and were greeted by a middle-aged woman with light brown hair.

"Hello, welcome to the Atlas Gallery of Antique Weapons. Entry is fifty lien." She said and seemed to ignore Alyss. She rolled her eyes and very faintly shook her head with a small grin.

Jace nodded and took out one hundred lien from his wallet.

"Oh, I'm sorry but I think you misheard. It's _fifty_ lien."

 _"Really? It's starting already?"_ Jace thought angrily in his head as he withdrew the money.

"Oum, this is already ridiculous," Jace said under his breath, "And I don't think you can count. There are two people here. So it's one hundred unless you can't do math." He replied with already-thin patience while Alyss smiled in amusement.

"I can count perfectly well, thank you!" The woman snapped at him and glared through them both. "And we don't allow Faunus here, so you'll have to leave if you keep being unpleasant."

Jace opened his mouth to reply, but Alyss beat him to it. "Oh? I didn't read that on your website. If you really didn't allow Faunus here, wouldn't that be stated?" She kept her smile as she addressed the woman.

"We shouldn't have to, but it seems that if the ani-"

"Olivia! What in the hell do you think you're doing!?"

They heard an old man with a raspy, gravelly voice yell as he stepped from a doorway. The woman staggered at his voice, then turned to address him.

"S-sir! I was j-just dealing with two unpleasant visitors!"

He shook his head angrily at her. "Really now!? I saw through the cameras that _YOU_ are being the unpleasant one!"

Jace and Alyss stared in shock at the old man yelling at his employee.

 _"He really seems like he shouldn't be getting this worked up…"_ Alyss thought.

Before the woman could reply, the old man continued. "I saw that you were about to kick out two paying visitors! Why!? Just because one of them is a Faunus!?" He gestured toward Alyss and waited for an answer.

"I-I-I just didn't want her to cause any trouble sir. I've seen how Faunus can be." Olivia replied with her head held down.

"You have!? You've seen how all Faunus are!? You know what!? Get out! YOU'RE FIRED!" The old man yelled at the absolute top of his lungs, drawing looks from other patrons in the front hall.

The woman opened and closed her mouth in shock, not able to form any words and not seeming to grasp what her boss just said to her.

"Get the hell out of my gallery!" He yelled after a moment of impatience, then the woman left in shame.

After a moment of calming himself down, the man turned to Jace and Alyss with a smile.

"I apologize for that bit of unpleasantries. I am the head curator here. My name is Gransys McMahon, but please, call me Grant. Pleasure to meet you both." Grant greeted them and bowed.

"Hello sir, I'm Jace and this is Alyss. We're visiting from Vale." Jace greeted him.

"Ah, tourists. Well, I'll have you know that everyone is welcome here. No good businessman should let their beliefs keep them from making money!" Grant said with a laugh.

Jace and Alyss chuckled with him and Jace brought up the hundred lien again.

"Oh, because of what happened with that woman, I've decided it will be fifty lien for the both of you. Now, enjoy the exhibit."

"Thank you sir, have a good day." Alyss said sweetly as Grant handed back fifty lien.

"You as well."

* * *

After spending two hours going through the exhibit, which held very well kept pieces of old pre-war weapons, armor, and other armaments, they left the building and smiled to see that Mr. McMahon was the one who welcomed new visitors himself for now.

"So that was… fun." Jace remarked as they arrived at _Titan_.

"It really was. That was a very unpleasant woman though."

Jace handed her a helmet and smiled, "I was about to really yell at her. But I don't think I would've yelled as loud as Grant." He replied as he strapped on his own helmet.

They got on the motorcycle and drove through the streets to find one of the many malls throughout Atlas. If Jace could help it, he would find one that wasn't too far into the city. As luck would have it, they came across a large mall within the tourist district of the Kingdom.

"Oh luck, my wallet thanks you." Jace said with a laugh as they dismounted. He let Alyss rest for a moment, knowing that she probably needed it. She nodded her thanks and the two walked into the building.

"So, dust shop?" Jace asked as they walked up to a directory.

"Yeah, I need to see about getting some extra magazines for _Soul Leaf._ " Alyss answered and they went to find the Atlesian branch of _From Dust Till Dawn_.

After a while of window shopping and dealing with heated glares, they arrived at the dust shop. They walked in and was greeted by an old, balding man who still had hair at ear level and below, slightly pointed outward. He looked vaguely familiar to Jace.

"Hello you two. Looking for something specific?" He asked the two teens.

"Yeah, my friend is looking for magazines for her weapon and I'm looking for pistol parts." Jace replied and the old man led them to the back of the store where gun magazines and parts of all sizes and types were in bins along the wall.

"If you need any help, let me know." The man said and went back to the counter.

"Oh this'll be fun." Alyss said dryly as she brought _Soul Leaf_ to its gun form and started to look through the bins.

Jace chuckled at her dilemma and shook his head. "Yeah, it will." Jace said and went to find parts.

An hour later and over a hundred lien from each of them, they left the store. Alyss bought five extra magazines with dust rounds to fit them and Jace bought two whetstones, cloth, and oil for _Standoff_. He also found almost everything he needed for a new pistol. The trigger, firing pin, frame, barrel and receiver. The things that were missing were the slide, grip, and magazines for it. Although he had special plans for those.

"Alright, now we just explore!" Alyss said excitedly and they went through the mall.

They walked past multiple stores. A few had different types of jewelry, some had video games that Jace remembered from his childhood, and there was one that had a large amount of decorative weapons. One store ended up having special, dust-laced clothing in it, made with either burn dust for the frigid temperatures of Solitas or with ice-dust for the humidity of Anima or the searing heat of the western end of Sanus. Jace was glad he had bought his burn dust-laced jacket in Vale, the ones in this particular store were very pricey. They also passed by a store that sold different trinkets and baubles from, such as small to medium-sized Grimm statues. After a while, they went into a store with different accessories and cheaper clothing.

They separated and looked around the store. Jace found nothing in particular that really interested him after a few minutes of searching and went to find Alyss. Along the way to finding her, he picked up a black hairbrush and a pack of bands for his hair. Before long, he found Alyss. To Jace's anger and confusion, he saw some man standing over her acting like he was threatening her.

Jace walked up behind him without him knowing and put his hand on _Standoff's_ hilt.

"You know your kind isn't welcome here in civilization. Why don't you just go away?" The man said and cracked his knuckles, which made Alyss grin.

"I think my friend would _really_ disagree with you." She replied and nodded to Jace.

The man laughed and started to reply as he turned around. "Oh really? And who might-" He stopped in his tracks when he saw red and blue eyes boring into him.

Jace scowled at him as he went to raise his sword from his back.

 _"That thing's massive!"_ The man thought and stepped back.

"Go. Now." Jace told the man with a growl and he turned and ran from the store.

Jace replaced _Standoff_ on his back and sighed. "So that makes two today. You see anything you want?"

"Not yet. I'm trying to find a thicker jacket. Maybe with burn dust if I'm lucky." Alyss replied and they walked on through the store. As Alyss walked down an aisle to look at jackets and coats, Jace's eye caught something on the wall.

"Hey Alyss. White or purple?" Jace asked and walked up to her with two things. Alyss looked at him with a confused expression, then saw what Jace was holding. Two bows, white and purple.

"Oh, I guess… purple." She decided and Jace handed her the purple bow.

She looked it over and rubbed it with her fingers, it was silk and smooth to the touch. While Jace returned the white bow, she wrapped her hair up with the purple one, having some hair back in a ponytail while all of the hair that was black was still loose on the side of her face. She looked in a nearby mirror and smiled at how the bow went well with her colors.

"So… how does it look?" She asked when Jace returned.

He thought for a moment as she turned her head and her hair swayed in the ponytail. "I think it looks really pretty. Do you like it?" Jace asked and smiled at her.

"I really do, Thank you!" Alyss said and hugged him.

"Well, I'm glad." Jace replied and happily returned the hug.

Alyss looked around more and found a good dark-purple jacket with a smaller amount of burn dust sown into it than the higher-end jackets. They walked out after Jace paid for the bow and hair items and Alyss paid for the jacket, then they started to leave the mall. Alyss wore the jacket now and had her hoodie wrapped around her waist by the arms. Before they reached the exit, Jace found an auto parts, tools, and accessories store.

"One last place, if you don't mind." Jace said and they walked into the store.

Jace immediately led Alyss to the motorcycle section, picking up a laser-etching kit along the way. Jace looked through the helmets and quickly found one he wanted to get.

"Here, try this on." Jace said and handed Alyss the helmet.

It was purple and black in color and had two spots on the top for a Faunus that had certain animal ears, in this instance, a cat's.

She tried it on and it fit perfectly over her ears. "It fits good. Why?" She took the helmet off and handed it back.

"Because if you're gonna be riding my motorcycle with me, I want you to have a good helmet." Jace said and looked at the price tag.

"Oh! You don't have to!"

Jace smiled at her and shook his head. "Hey, I don't want those ears of yours to be scrunched up and uncomfortable. Besides, I figure I owe you."

"For your arm? You don't have to repay me for that."

Jace shook his head again. "No, not my arm. For keeping me at ease when I need it and helping me get the best nights sleep I've had in a long time."

His words caused Alyss to blush slightly. "Oh, you're very welcome then." She said and they walked to the counter.

* * *

"Dust, that etching kit was expensive," Jace said as they sat down at a table in the small, Faunus-run restaurant.

"Three hundred lien. Just… damn." He finished and looked at the menu, immediately seeing what he wanted.

"It uses a laser, what did you expect? I'm surprised it didn't cost more." Alyss replied while she looked through her menu.

"I guess so. You enjoy your day so far?"

"It's easily one of the best days I've ever had. What about you?" The cat Faunus asked with a smile.

"Same here." He gave his own smile and a waiter came to take their orders, a friendly looking Faunus with a long monkey tail.

"Hello, are you ready to order?" He asked and readied his pencil. Jace nodded for Alyss to go first.

"I'll have a large chicken and fish salad with a cherry shake." She requested and the waiter turned to Jace.

"I'll take a medium, well-done steak and three pieces of fried chicken, and a cherry shake too. And if you don't mind, bring me an empty bowl, please." Jace finished his order and the waiter jotted down the last details, then went to ready the order.

"So you're trying a cherry shake?" Alyss asked and grinned at Jace.

"Yeah, I didn't know what to get and it sounds good."

"Oh it is, trust me." Alyss said and looked at the teen sitting across from her. "You do seem more happy than when I first met you."

"Yeah, I really am. It's really all because of you," He said with a shy smile. "Thank you."

Alyss blushed and smiled. Before she could reply, the server came by, one with a monkey tail that looked to be the waiter's sibling with having the same color hair, and brought their orders to them. She placed the plates in front of them and brought her tail around with their drinks.

"Enjoy your meal!" She said and smiled at seeing a human and Faunus so close as friends, then turned away back to the kitchen.

"Smart use of her tail." Jace said thoughtfully as he started to cut the steak and chicken with a knife and dump it into the bowl.

Alyss was already taking bites out of her salad as she thought about what Jace said. Those thoughts dispelled as took a drink from her shake, closing her eyes in pleasure.

"Oh dust it's been too long since I've had one of these." She said and set her drink back down.

Jace heard her and went to take a drink of his own, and after a second of taking a sip, he sighed with his own pleasure. "This is pretty amazing! Maybe I should find a way to make coffee and cherries work together." He said and set the glass back down, then went to coat his food with barbecue sauce.

"Tooollld yyoouuu." Alyss said in a singsong voice with a grin and continued eating.

Jace laughed and nodded, smiling at the sound of her voice, then mixed his food up and took a bite.

They finished the food after a few minutes and only asked for refills on the shakes. "We'll head back to the house after this. It's getting late." Jace said as the drinks were brought to them. They both thanked the server before she walked away.

"Alright. Do you have any movies to watch?" Alyss asked and took a long drink from her shake.

Jace thought as he took a sip of his. "There's a few that I know of. But now that I think of it, there's a movie I want you to see and it's one of my favorites. It takes place a few years after the events of my favorite video game as a kid. And now that I remember, it's where Genesis got the inspiration for _Titan_ from."

Alyss nodded at the suggestion. "Sounds fun."

After finishing their drinks and paying the fifty lien bill, they left the restaurant and left the city while the sun went down. With an hour and thirty minute drive, they arrived back at the house and Jace locked the motorcycle up.

Before Jace found the movie he wanted his friend to see, they both sat down on the couch and rested from the long drive.

"First time I've rode that bike for that long. I'm tired and I think I might be sore." Jace said as he leaned back into the couch.

"You're not used to it either, I guess." Alyss said and fell back to lay on the couch next to him.

"On the bright side, my ears are getting used to it. They're not ringing now." Jace said.

After a few minutes of resting nearly numb limbs, Jace went to look for the movie.

"While you look for it, I'm gonna go change." Alyss said and went to the bathroom.

"Alright. I'll do the same after you get back and I get everything set up." Jace responded and went to search.

In the movie cabinet under the holographic television, he looked through the collection of movies. From classic, pre-war set movies like _No Kingdom For Old Men_ and _Undertaker_ , to modern day action movies like _Rising Force_ and _The Condemned_ , and to a very brutal and bloody fantasy-action movie called _Captain Morgan's Revenge_.

The movie Jace looked for was called _Remnant Adventus_ , from the _Finalis Phantasia VII_ story. What Jace didn't take into account was that he had bought an entire movie remake of the entire compilation when it was available. Everything from the tale of a young and hopeful soldier in _Heart of Crisis_ , to the main game with a young mercenary, to the movie _Remnant Adventus_ , to a man made into a demon in the game _Lament of the Beast_ , taking place a few years after the movie.

"I forgot all about you." Jace remarked and set up the movie player.

Alyss returned and Jace had the movie at the menu screen. He turned and noticed that Alyss wore a simple purple nightgown with her hair down again.

"Alright, I'll be back." Jace said and went to change into his nightwear.

Alyss looked at the changing dynamic screens while they cycled. In order, the first picture was the main character of _Heart of Crisis_ standing on a cliff with his sword in the ground while black and white feathers fluttered to the ground on either side of him. The next picture showed the main character for the main game, holding his sword on his back as he stared up toward a tall tower in the center of a city, with the wind carrying scraps of paper through the air. The third picture had the same man holding a new weapon forward as he rushed toward his nemesis while flames billowed all around them. The final picture showed a new face, a man with long, black hair and a golden gauntlet and red cloak as he was back to back with a woman with a face shrouded in darkness. The music was a soothing piano melody that played throughout all the pictures.

After a few minutes, Jace returned to the living room, wearing simple black shorts and black tank top. He smiled at the music. "Oh Gods it's been so long since I've heard that." He said and sat down next to Alyss.

"So, how long will it last?" Alyss asked and scooted just a tiny bit closer to Jace.

He thought for a moment, considering it spans the whole compilation. "I… um, I don't know, really. This took everything from the games and movie and combined them chronologically into one remastered movie. Considering all of the gameplay and stuff like that was cut for it all, and all of the cutscenes for the games were remastered and pieced together to fit, along with a lot of new scenes to replace the gameplay and help it along… I'd say it'll last from now until maybe five in the morning." Jace finished and looked to Alyss.

She looked to him in shock of what she'd just heard from him. "I told you it was my favorite game." Jace said with a grin.

"That's over ten hours… Oh my Oum," She said and looked toward the screen. "I guess we should start then."

* * *

They made it to the beginning of _Remnant Adventus_ before becoming so tired it was hard to stay awake. Jace paused the movie and turned everything off for the night.

"So, what'd you think of it so far?" He asked through a yawn.

"I liked it. The end of _Heart of Crisis_ was just… so sad." Alyss said and remembered she had cried freely at that moment along with Jace, as well at the moment that the young soldier inherited his mentor's sword, and in the middle of the second 'act' of the movie.

"Yeah, when I first played the game it really hit me. It was harder since I knew what would happen from playing through the main game," Jace said and sat back on the couch next to her. "It can still make me cry."

They sat for a few moments until Alyss spoke up. "Soooo… are we gonna actually have sleeping arrangements tonight or will it be like before?" She asked with a blush on her face.

Jace smiled and looked at her, not noticing her reddened cheeks. "I wouldn't mind it. Might be the key for me sleeping good." He said and leaned his head back. He was feeling that pressure rise in his chest and heat in his cheeks as well after he said it.

 _"Why am I acting like this?"_ He asked himself in his head.

"I guess that'll settle it then. A good nights sleep is always, well, good." Alyss said and put her head on his shoulder.

"I don't mean to sound weird, but wouldn't sleeping be better in a bed?" Jace asked and moved to look at Alyss.

She thought for a moment before slowly and shyly nodding. "Y-yeah, I guess it would."

"Well, let's go. My bed'll have to do, I wouldn't feel comfortable sleeping in dad's bed yet." Jace said and rubbed his neck from where it had been bent from staring at the ceiling.

They stood up and Jace led her to his room where they laid on the small bed with Alyss on Jace's right side.

"I wonder what improvement Ironwood meant?" Jace wondered out loud and stared at the ceiling.

"I wouldn't know," Alyss said and started to wonder as well, then chuckled a bit. "Maybe it's a gun."

Jace laughed at the wild suggestion and shook his head. "That would be something," He said and thought back to his morning. "I need to either practice with grabbing things with it, or just not grab things at all with it. I broke a glass this morning when I grabbed it."

"Did you get cut?" Alyss asked him with a bit of worry in her voice.

"Trust me, if I did, you would've heard me yelling," Jace replied with a laugh, "Still though, I need to do something."

"I'm sure you can get the hang of it." Alyss assured him.

They laid on the bed in silence until Alyss fell asleep with her head leaning against his shoulder. Jace took one glance at her and smiled happily.

 _"Yep, happiest I've ever been."_ He thought to himself and let himself fall into sleep.

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: The day turned out well I think. Just a lot of good times were had by the two. Even that embarrassing moment outside the gallery. They got to talk with each other and Alyss got to see more of the city. And now that Jace has most of the parts for a new pistol, he has that to look forward to. And hopefully people will get what Finalis Phantasia is supposed to be. That took a lot of thinking on my part.**

 **The next chapter is the last day in Atlas. I hope I describe where they go pretty well and I hope you enjoy it.**

 **See you next chapter, and have a** **nice day!**


	16. Chapter 15: Night of Seclusion

**Night Of Seclusion**

Jace woke up, once again, well rested and before Alyss. This time however, his arm wasn't around the smaller girl's shoulders.

His hand was locked in hers.

Jace stared at their intertwined fingers with that feeling in his chest flaring at the feeling of her hand in his. If he saw himself in the mirror, he'd see that his eyes were wide open as if he'd been surprised, and truthfully, he had been. He kept it there for several moments, listening to Alyss' rhythmic breathing, coupled with her soft purrs, through the overall silence of the room.

After a few moments of listening to that strangely soothing sound, Jace took his hand from hers, hearing her sigh a bit in her sleep as he did so. He placed that hand over his chest and kept it there for nearly fifteen minutes while he thought about both himself and the cat Faunus sleeping next to him.

 _"I don't know what to do… if I say something, it might just make everything fall apart."_

He took a deep breath and was caught off guard by Alyss laying her hand on his chest. Jace nearly jumped at the unexpected touch and looked down at her, still sleeping. He let her hand lay on his chest while he thought.

He knew, or at least thought he knew, that he was actually, deeply, in love with her after hours of thinking over the last few days.

The one problem was that he was nervous as all hell to tell her about it.

He didn't know how to tell her, when to tell her, or if he even should tell her. On one hand, he would find someone to love after every horrible thing that's happened to him. He would be able to take comfort in her arms and he could be even happier. But on the other hand, it could make everything awkward or strained between them if Alyss decided she didn't feel the same way or if she didn't even want a relationship. He stared at the ceiling, mulling over those thoughts, completely unknowing that Alyss was going through the same problems in her mind.

After another few minutes of laying there, Alyss woke up to find her hand on Jace's chest. She noticed he was awake and quickly removed her hand in embarrassment.

"Umm, good morning Jace." She said when she looked up to his face, which looked deep in thought.

"Morning. Sleep good?" Jace asked when he looked to her.

"Yeah, I really did. What's the plans for today?"

"Hmm, well, as nice as it would be to lay here all day…" Jace said and made the feeling rise in his chest on his own, "I know a spot back in the forest that's really, _really_ peaceful. I thought I can take you there after we eat breakfast. Then we can come back and finish up that movie and maybe pick another one to watch." Jace suggested and reached for his scroll on the nightstand. He checked the time and it was ten o'clock in the morning, earlier than what he was able to wake up before.

Even though the day was planned out now, they were hesitant to leave the bed as they still laid next to each other. With a sigh, Jace sat up and Alyss followed. She rose from the bed and stretched before looking out the window.

"So what makes you want to show me that spot?" Alyss asked after Jace stood from the bed.

"Because I think you'd like it. Plus I haven't been there in a long time. I'm not missing the chance to go there again. It might help clear my head too." Jace replied and found a set of clothes in his dresser, a pair of gray cargo pants and a shirt of one of his favorite musicians. Most of it was faded out due to the long hours of wear that it's been through after Haile had given it to him. The only word's that were, barely, legible were _'_ _Man In Black_. _'_

Before Alyss left the room to go change, she glanced behind her to see Jace holding his spaulder in his hand. She thought nothing of it and left the room, giving Jace the privacy to change.

* * *

After they ate their breakfast, the two made their way through the forest, weapons ready just in case any Grimm decided to attack. Jace brought _Atronach_ with him, with the full cylinder. As Alyss walked with _Soul Leaf_ , she held it her right hand, blade extended toward the ground while the rest of the shaft was behind her and toward the sky.

As Jace walked, he practiced with his new ability and materialized dustblades of different sizes and types, ranging from carefully worked burn dust longswords to chilling ice dust claymores.

"Looks like you're getting the hang of it." Alyss said when she glanced at his progress.

Jace finished making a burn dust claymore and looked to her. "It's getting easier too. I just need to test it out." He held the blade to his side to see how long it would last.

"Looks like you have an advantage in any fight too. Nothing or no one would know what you can do, at least not yet." Alyss said thoughtfully and Jace nodded.

"That's another bonus." Jace agreed and they walked on.

When the claymore disintegrated, Jace took a break from his practice to enjoy the walk more. "It feels nice to walk out here again. Last time I was at that spot was maybe three years ago." He said as they walked along the path in the cold air.

"Hearing you talk so much about it makes me want to see it more." Alyss stated and flicked her ears in the cold wind. _"Maybe I should get some earmuffs like these gloves."_ Alyss thought to herself, then she glanced over to Jace's right shoulder.

"Hey Jace. Why are you all of a sudden wearing that on your shoulder? I mean, you did yesterday too, and I guess you couldn't before you got your prosthetic," She looked away and to the ground, "I'm just curious, I guess."

Jace reached his prosthetic hand over and ran it over its edges. "I don't mind, I guess it _is_ weird to just suddenly start wearing one piece of armor everywhere I go," He smiled and let his hand fall back to his side, "It was the last gift my dad gave me. Right before me and Genesis went in the forest."

"Oh, your dad made it? Who's emblem is that on it?" Alyss asked.

"It's dad's. Same as this necklace," Jace answered and went to grab it from his neck, "I plan on having my own be a combination of both these necklaces." He let it fall back to its place and looked forward.

"Was it for your birthday, or…?"

"No, not my birthday. He made a piece of armor for both of us. If Gen's chestplate wasn't ruined back then, I'd be wearing it too."

"At least you have something to remind you of both of them."

"Yeah, and I'm glad."

Alyssa opened her mouth to say something more, then her ears snapped up in alert.

"Jace-"

"I know." Jace cut her off and materialized an earth dust claymore.

They heard the heavy footfalls of multiple Grimm coming toward them and stood prepared.

"Not such a peaceful walk now." Jace said as a Beowulf emerged through the trees.

Alyss held _Soul Leaf_ in both hands now, with the outside of both hands pointed outward and with the blade pointed at the Grimm on her side. She put a magazine in _Soul Leaf_ , loaded with thirty gravity dust rounds. It clicked into place and retracted into the staff.

The first came at Jace and tried to bite at him. Jace held his sword out and redirected the lunge and sent the Beowulf's face to the ground. He brought his blade down and severed the beast's head quickly and waited for the next Grimm.

The first on Alyss' side came at her and swiped at her with its sharp claws. She blocked it and let it slide to the side of her. While it was off balance, she twisted her staff around and stabbed the Beowulf through the side, but it didn't kill it. It howled in pain and tried to slash with its opposite claw, but Alyss ducked under it. She turned the staff around again and thrusted it upwards into the beast's jaw, striking the brain and killing it. Another one came at her before she could recover and knocked her back. She recovered from it and dodged its next attack, then she spun around with her glaive and brought the blade into the beast's neck and cut its head off.

Another charged from behind the dead one and before she could do anything, Jace turned and sliced the Grimm in half before turning back and cutting into another's neck, the claymore breaking on the strike. Jace didn't hesitate and pulled out _Atronach_ to blast another in its snout before he drew _Standoff_ to block another strike.

Alyss smoothly dodged a strike from her left and spun _Soul Leaf_ in an upward arc and sliced the Beowulf's head off, then turned to bash another in the face with the blunt end of the staff as she fired off a shot, the round coming from the blunt end and striking the Beowulf. It was stunned, but Alyss used the recoil from the shot to bring the staff around in a clockwise rotation and stabbed the Grimm in the heart. With that one dead, it seemed that all the Grimm had either died or the rest ran.

Both of them exhaled from exertion and walked toward each other, Jace inspecting his prosthetic as he did so.

"You good?" Jace asked when they reached one another.

"I'm alright. How'd your prosthetic do?"

Jace inspected his prosthetic more for any damage, finding none, and nodded in satisfaction. "Ironwood was right. It's very responsive to what I want. Still got a ways to go with getting used to not feeling anything with it though." He finished sadly and shook his head, "Anyways, I think we're getting close to that place now. I didn't think it'd take this long." He was thankful that they brought some sleeping bags, just in case they lost track of time or just decided to stay out under the stars.

 _"As long as I'm with you, I don't care how long it takes."_ Alyss thought to herself and blushed.

"A little bit of walking never hurt anyone." She said to Jace after a moment.

They took a drink from their water bottles and rested until the last of the Beowulves dissipated into the air, then walked on.

* * *

In thirty more minutes, they arrived at a small clearing. In it was a small pond of crystal clear water, in the middle was a large, snow-white pillar that seemed to radiate with a pure, warm, and soothing energy. A small stream of water ran into the pond from a hill off to the left side from where they were standing, creating a soothing sound as it ran through the rocks on the edge of the water where it entered. It was completely devoid of snow. The whole of the entire clearing was brimming with vibrant green grass and multiple flowers of different kinds. Red and white roses, tulips, lavender, violets, carnations, and numerous others. All of them grew brightly even though it was on Solitas.

Alyss immediately felt her mind clear of her thoughts as she looked around the area. Jace noticed her expression and smiled. "Told you it was peaceful," He said and walked forward toward the water.

He set his bags down and sat himself near the water's edge. He turned and noticed Alyss was still standing and looking over the area with wide eyes.

"Come on! Have a seat!" Jace called to her with a smile, and her ears flicked to attention as she shook her head from her trance.

She sat next to Jace with a sigh. "Gods, it's so peaceful here. And so _warm_." Alyss said after a moment

Jace glanced to her and back at the standing stone. "I'm pretty sure it has something to do with that stone. The energy that comes out of it seems so pure, it keeps it comfortably warm around here and Grimm won't even come near. And I think you'd love it when it gets night time."

Minutes of silence passed as they enjoyed sound of running water and the soothing warmness radiated by the stone's aura. Alyss looked to Jace and noticed his peaceful expression. "How did you even find this place?"

Jace thought and smiled at the memory. "I was out exploring. I was thirteen, so that probably wasn't the best idea. But I was bored, dad was working on his truck at the time, and Genesis was working on _Titan_. I told them the general area I went and just started walking. I ended up here after walking for an hour or two. When I didn't come back, they were worried as all hell. They broke out of the trees with their weapons, Gen just had a longsword back then, and they just saw me sitting here as still as I could be. I noticed them and checked the time on my watch and saw that it was eight in the evening. I realized that I left at noon that day. Being here just made me completely lose track of time. After that, the next few days dad cut a path through to here just wide enough for his truck to fit through so we could come here whenever we wanted. That's when we started going back to combat school after a break and we never had time to come back." Jace finished and sighed happily.

* * *

They ate the packed lunch that they brought and realized they had already lost track of time. It was already six o'clock and getting dark.

"Told you this place'll do that." Jace said before he took a bite of his sandwich.

"I really don't mind. I like it here." Alyss answered and looked at where the sun was setting.

After a few minutes, they set up their sleeping bags next to each other. When they finished, they sat down and watched the sun go down behind the white stone. Jace sighed and looked toward the ground, "You know, I don't even remember my real parents' names."

Alyss was caught off guard by the statement. "Y-you don't?" She asked after a moment.

Jace stifled a laugh. "No, I really don't. Kinda horrible isn't it? The only thing I know is my last name from them. Storm. When dad found me, I thought about using his or Gen's last name, but I thought that maybe I could find them and maybe they'd take me back. But after a while, that hope faded away and I accepted the fact that they didn't want me and I should move on. The only reason I kept Storm as my last name is because I'm used to it. But…" Jace paused and looked to the sky. Alyss, sensing his inner turmoil rear its head, laid her head on his shoulder to help ease him.

Jace sighed and smiled. "Thanks… I'm starting to think that I need to put that behind me too. Leave Storm in the past and go by Genesis' last name, Galloway. Or I could use dad's, Reznor. Or I could just think of my own to use… I just don't know. So until then, I just want to be Jace." He finished and sighed at the prospect of changing names.

"I'm sorry Jace… that must've been hard for you."

Jace sighed and focused his eyes on the stone. "It was. I can't remember how long it was until dad found me. Probably a year. I still just can't help but wonder why they just… left me."

"A year?" Alyss echoed incredulously. "I'm so sorry. Whatever reason it was, it's not good enough to just abandon their son." She said, then they stayed silent.

It took every bit of control Jace had to keep his anger in check from remembering that. It helped greatly that Alyss was there with him, along with sitting in range of the stone's energy. Every day he was on the street, he had to find something to eat by himself, and that was rare. Some of the only times he even drank anything was when he gathered enough snow in a bottle to melt at the sidewalk. For a year, he had to scrounge for food as a child, never knowing where his parents were and always wondering what he had done wrong. Now he knew he had done nothing.

They watched the last bit of the sun disappear over the horizon as Jace brought himself to speak again. He sighed and shook his head. "Maybe if I did find them, things would've turned out differently."

"Different like how?" Alyss asked through misty eyes after hearing about the truth behind his real parents.

Jace thought for a moment and sighed again. "I don't know. Gen would be alive, dad would be alive, I'd still have my arm and we wouldn't have been captured or used like that…" Jace said and shook his head again, causing Alyss to raise up and turn toward him

"I would probably be stuck in a horrible team like I was. Who knows… Gen could've been there. I wouldn't have got to meet Ruby and her team or her friends, I wouldn't have gotten to see Vale like it was my home, I wouldn't have met Auron or…" He paused and looked at Alyss, "Or you…" He said and felt a smile on his lips as he looked at her. She smiled as well and they turned their attention to the pond in silence.

"It would've happened to team RWBY." Jace said after another minute of silence.

"What do you mean by that?" Alyss asked him in confusion.

"Don't tell them I said this, Qrow asked me not to tell them." Jace said. Alyss nodded her head and Jace continued. "Before that fight, that scientist told us that he had his sights set on them before he found us. If I got taken back by my birth parents and me and Genesis didn't get taken, that man would've took team RWBY. So only because of that… I'm glad that I was left on the street way back then. I told Qrow that the only reason I'm glad we were taken is because it didn't happen to them, because they had more people that cared about them. We only had dad."

Alyss sat in silence for a few moments after hearing that. "So… you two being taken kept team RWBY from being kidnapped? And you're glad it was you?" She asked and Jace nodded.

"You're a selfless person."

* * *

As it grew darker around the area, the pool around the white stone started to glow brightly and illuminate the area around them. Alyss was speechless at the sudden illumination and looked around the area to see fireflies start to circle the stone.

Jace glanced at her, saw her expression, and grinned. "Was I right?"

It took her several moments to reply, "Yeah. You were right. It's beautiful," She said and leaned her head on his shoulder happily, ignoring how much she blushed when she did this.

"Thanks showing me this place." She said and they sat in silence once again.

In the silence, Jace thought more on what he said. Now that he put it into words, he wanted to truly change his last name from those that abandoned him. He racked his brain on what to change it to, his father's, brother's, or a completely new one. He thought over his options and narrowed it down to Reznor or Galloway, having no luck in thinking of his own. After a few more minutes of thinking, Jace figured it out.

" _Reznor_." He said out loud and Alyss glanced at him.

"Is that what you decided on?" She asked and smiled for his decision.

He nodded his head and looked back at her, "Yeah. I have Gen's sword with me, and I'll always have it with me. So now I could have Reznor be my last name from now on, to keep something of dad's too other than the color of my eye and his cross." Jace said and nodded at the choice.

"Jace… Reznor? It sounds good together." Alyss said and drew a smile from Jace.

"I'm glad you think so," Jace said and looked to the moon in the sky. "Well, it's getting late, so maybe we should sleep."

"Yeah, probably." Alyss agreed and laid on her sleeping bag. It didn't take long for Jace to lay down also.

"Goodnight, Alyss." Jace said and closed his eyes.

Alyss smiled at the words. "Goodnight."

* * *

Jace awoke just before dawn from a dream and sat up from his sleeping bag. He stood carefully, trying not to wake Alyss, and walked to the edge of the water. He fell to one knee and thought about the dream, and felt his feelings flare again and his heart beat faster.

Just before he woke from the dream, he was about to kiss Alyss.

 _"I need to say something to her."_ He thought to himself and sighed. He didn't know what to do, it wasn't a situation he had any experience in.

 _"Maybe I can talk to someone about it when we get back to Vale."_ He thought again.

He sighed deeply. He looked to the stone and felt his mind clear of his thoughts so he could relax. When his mind cleared, he walked back to the sleeping bag to try to sleep some more.

"Damn it. What do I do?" He asked to no one and laid down.

* * *

When they woke up at seven in the morning, they packed the sleeping bags and prepared to leave the pond.

"This was really nice." Alyss said as she looked back to the standing stone.

"Yeah, it was. I think I really needed it." Jace responded and they walked through the snowy path towards Jace's house.

They weren't bothered by any Grimm this time around and were able to walk peacefully while Jace kept practicing with his dustblade summoning.

"Every sword you make looks smoother." Alyss commented on the last one.

"They're definitely getting easier to make too. I'm hoping to get this good enough before the initiation." Jace replied and finished with his training.

Before too long, they arrived back at the house and rested on the couch. After a few minutes, Jace got up to go fix food for them both.

Before he gathered everything he needed, his scroll started to buzz. He brought it out and checked it, standing up straighter as he saw it was General Ironwood.

"Hello sir. How are you?" Jace asked as he greeted his old headmaster.

"I'm well, thank you. Is your arm treating you well?"

"Yes and no I guess. The other morning I broke a glass trying to grab it, but it did well when me and Alyss were fighting some Grimm yesterday." Jace answered and saw Alyss stand to walk over.

"That's good to hear. Everything is prepared for departure back to Vale. Come to the airdocks when you both are ready."

"Alright, we'll be there as soon as we can." Jace said and the call was ended.

"Looks like we're just getting sandwiches." Jace said after he put his scroll up.

"So we're heading back to Vale?" Alyss asked after a moment.

"Yeah. We'll eat and we'll head out. We can finish that movie sometime soon, hopefully."

* * *

Jace gathered everything he wanted to bring back with him. He had the movie, _Atronach_ along with it's extra cylinder, his cards, the pictures, the laser etching kit, and some of his old clothes. Before he left, he hooked his scroll up to his computer and transferred all of his old music to it. He picked up his old earphones and put them in his pocket, and then the two left the house and walked to the garage.

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself here and I'm happy that you liked the bow. It looks really good on you." Jace said, smiling toward her before he opened the garage door and rolled _Titan_ out.

"Thank you, I'm happy that you thought to buy me something." Alyss replied and retrieved her helmet from Jace.

Jace smiled more. "I wasn't gonna leave here without getting you a gift for coming with me." He said and swung his leg over _Titan_ to mount it, then strapped his helmet on.

Alyss put on her helmet and jumped on the bike behind Jace. He started the engine and looked behind himself toward the house.

"I'm gonna miss this place." He said and then drove down the driveway.

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: Alright, that's a wrap for Atlas and now Jace is trying to get his name changed. Hopefully for him, it won't be too much trouble.**

 **Jace can just take so much comfort in Alyss. He's able to tell her everything and she can just keep him calm for the most part. If he hadn't asked her to go with him, he wouldn't have handled it as well as he did. Plus, her going with him to that clearing helped even more.**

 **I hope I described the clearing well enough. This is one of my favorite chapters because of the visuals I tried to come up with for it in my head. I think I did well enough, but I don't know.**

 **See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	17. Chapter 16: Welcome Home

**Welcome Home**

It was a relatively peaceful ride toward the city. There were some people on the road that honked their horns angrily as Jace sped in between vehicles, although Jace suspected the anger came from more than just his driving. He was, in fact, weaving through traffic to get to the airdocks quicker. With the thirty minutes of driving over, they arrived at the outermost airdocks where General Ironwood and, to Jace's surprise, Qrow were standing. When Jace rode up to them, both he and Alyss stepped off _Titan_ and greeted the veteran Huntsmen.

"Good morning General, good morning Qrow."

"Damn, you cleaned yourself up!" Qrow exclaimed, regarding Jace's clean-shaven face and trimmed hair."

"I really needed it. I feel a lot better too." Jace replied.

"Good morning you two," Ironwood greeted them both, "How are you handling the finer movements of your prosthetic?" He asked Jace.

"Still getting used to it. I'm having trouble with it of course, like trying to get a bandanna wrapped around my arm at the house, but I got it after a few tries. It takes me a few minutes to got my spaulder on too. I was even able to do something cool." Jace replied.

"And what is it that you did?" Qrow asked, causing Jace to grin.

Jace held his hands in front of him and created a longsword of burn dust. He held it in front of the two men for several moments before he dematerialized it. "It's something I'll need to practice with more, and I'm still not sure that I'll make my own weapon either." Jace said and shook his head at the thought.

"That is impressive. How did you discover you could do that?" Ironwood asked.

"I have a book about dust back at the hospital. It said I can use it in a lot of ways," Jace answered, then looked at Qrow with a grin.

"So Qrow, how long are you gonna be staring at _Titan_?"

Qrow shook his head and grinned. "Where in the hell did you pull this from?" He asked with amusement in his voice.

"I got it from our garage and I completely forgot about it before. I'd like to take it back with me. Anyway, what are you doing here, Qrow?"

Qrow thought for a split second before answering. "Ruby wanted me to check up on you and tell you that she won their little board game the other day."

While it was half true, Ruby did win much to Yang's surprise, the real reason Qrow was in Atlas was to discuss things with Ironwood that Ozpin wanted him to relay for him in person. Unknown to Jace, it had to deal with the security of Vale for the Vytal Tournament.

Jace smiled at Qrow's message. "Good, Yang deserved to lose for calling us nerds. You ready to go Alyss?" Jace asked and turned to his companion, who had stayed silent so far.

"Oh, yeah, I'm ready when everyone else is." She said a bit distractedly.

"Well, I'm ready too." Jace said and turned back to the General.

"Alright then. Let's get your motorcycle on board."

Ironwood sent a quick message to Viktor and the cargo bay doors opened. Jace drove _Titan_ into the bay and left it next to multiple deactivated Atlesian Knights and crates of weaponry and other equipment.

"We'll be traveling slower today to make sure the cargo is undamaged. It will be possibly four to five hours to return to Vale." Ironwood explained, then he went deeper into the ship.

Jace took his weapon from _Titan_ , then he and Alyss made their way to the flight deck. Shortly after they sat down, Qrow came up to them. "Y'know, I don't know much about motorcycles, but you and Yang are gonna get along a lot better, I think." He said to Jace.

The statement made him tilt his head slightly. "Is she into motorcycles like how Ruby is with weapons?"

Qrow thought for a moment before giving a reply. "I don't know if she's crazy like Ruby, but the lil' firecracker has one of her own. Built it from the ground up, all by herself. You should probably give her a call in a bit, see where she keeps it." He suggested, then left Jace and Alyss alone.

Jace checked the time on his scroll. It was one o'clock in the evening, and he didn't know what schedule Beacon had for classes. Thinking of nothing better to do, he sent Yang a short message saying, _'Call me when you get the chance.'_ From there, Jace could do nothing but wait.

"You seem really distracted. Something on your mind?" Jace asked and looked to Alyss.

"What makes you say that?" She asked in return.

Jace smiled a bit. "You haven't said anything since we got here. Something has to be bugging you." He answered with concern in his voice.

"I haven't? Oh… I guess I _do_ have something on my mind. I'm just… nervous about the initiation is all, I guess." She said and Jace wrapped his right arm around her. She blushed slightly at the contact.

He rubbed her shoulder and looked in her eyes. "Hey, I'm nervous too. But it'll be alright. I saw Auron, he looks like he could headbutt a speeding freight train and then throw it when he's done. I'm sure the other one will be a good fighter and teammate too. I don't think we really have a lot to worry about except what we have to do." Jace said and took his arm from her shoulder.

Both stared into each other's eyes for more than a few moments. Jace could see some worry leave her emerald and sapphire eyes, but some of her nervousness remained that he couldn't see. Alyss saw in his red and blue eyes that he was sincere in what he said.

"Thanks for that. We'll see what it holds when we get to it." She said and leaned against the back of the bench, closing her eyes and relaxing.

Jace looked through his bag and found the etching kit he bought. "Three hundred damn lien…" He muttered to himself and stood.

"Hey Alyss, I'm gonna go do something with _Titan_. Want to come along?" He asked the ash-blonde Faunus.

"Yeah, I'll come and see." She answered and they went to the cargo bay.

Before Jace prepared for what he wanted to do, he received a call. He pulled his scroll from his pocket and saw that it was Yang and answered. "Hey, glad you could call." He greeted.

"Yeah, it took a bit. We were in the middle of one of Port's stories. How's anyone supposed to believe he took down a Nevermore with a toothpick? Anyway, What's up?"

"A toothpick? Seriously?" Jace said in disbelief, "Well, a certain bird told me that you have a motorcycle, so I was wondering if you'd show me were you keep it." Jace said as he leaned his back against the wall of the airship.

Yang's voice picked up a bit. "Oh, sure! I call it _Bumblebee_! Why'd you wanna know?"

Jace thought for a moment to decide how he wanted to word his response. "I'm just gonna say that _Bumblebee_ might be having some company. We should be getting back to Vale around five, can you meet me at the airdocks then?"

Yang replied almost immediately. "Yeah, I'll meet you there. Is there anything else? 'Cuz I need to get to my next class."

"No, that's all. I'll call back when we're almost there. See you then."

"Seeya, Jace!" They ended the call and Jace prepared the etching kit.

"I'm guessing that was Yang." Alyss said from her seat.

"Yeah, she's gonna be surprised when we get to Vale." Jace said with a grin. Alyss grinned as well and Jace went to use the etching pen.

He knew the basics of how these things worked and started to apply his own emblem into the left compartment of _Titan_. It was the wolf head of his necklace holding his father's cross in its mouth. It took him an hour to both get used to the pen and complete the emblem, all while looking back and forth between what he was doing and his necklaces. He looked over it in satisfaction before he moved to the other side.

Now that he knew more of what he was doing, it took him thirty minutes to apply Genesis' emblem to the right case, where _Standoff_ would go. He knew exactly how the emblem looked from all the memories of drawings Genesis made to find out what he wanted. For an added touch, Jace gave something extra to it, a single wing coming from the skull. After he finished that, he put the etching kit up.

"With three hundred lien, I'd better find some more uses for this." Jace said and drew a laugh from Alyss, which he smiled at.

They walked back to the flight deck and Alyss sat down. While she got comfortable, Jace went to speak with the captain. "Hey Viktor, do you care if I practice something here?"

"Jus' don't fuckin' damage anything."

"I won't, thanks." Jace said and went to practice with his dustblades.

He held his hands out and gathered his aura in his palms. This time, instead of holding his hands with his palms outward, he half-clenched his right hand and put his thumb and index finger to his left palm. He felt the hilt materialize and he clutched it tightly, then focused more aura into his left palm. Jace moved both of his hands away from the other and the blade seemed to come straight out of his palm as it formed, instead of forming in front of his palms. It seemed to form faster than before as well, a few seconds faster in fact. Jace held the finished claymore in front of himself and inspected it. It looked more like metal than just solid dust, and the light from the area actually gleamed off of the blade. His new way of summoning these swords seemed superior to his old way of doing it, even though he hasn't even practiced extensively with either.

The blade disintegrated and he went to continue practicing. He still had to find a good balance of aura output. The sword he made when fighting the Grimm the day before held up for a few strikes, but Jace felt it needed a better balance. Too much and his energy would drain too fast, and too little would make the swords crumble with one swing or not even last five seconds. From materializing twenty swords, Jace felt drained of his energy.

"I think you're getting better with that." Alyss said to Jace as he sat down.

"I'm definitely getting there," Jace replied and thought of something.

"Hmm, I wonder how Jaune's doing." He said and brought out his scroll.

Alyss tilted her head at the name. "Who's Jaune?"

"He led me to Beacon when Ozpin gave me the tour. He's friendly too." Jace answered and sent Jaune a message asking _'Are your classes over yet?'_

It was a few minutes until he received a call on his scroll.

"Hey Jaune, I didn't interrupt anything did I?" Jace asked, hearing the heavy breathing on the other end of the call.

"Oh, no, you're not. Classes ended an hour ago for today. We're just taking a break from training. How was Atlas?"

"It was good while I was there, nothing changed much. I got my prosthetic and stayed at my old house with my friend for the last few days. I handled that better than what I thought." Jace said with a small smile. "Now we're on our way back. How's training?" You sound like you ran a marathon through Vale"

"You said you were with a friend, who is it?" Jaune asked.

"Well, let's set this to video chat so you can meet her." Jace said and they set it up quickly.

"Is it working?" Jaune asked.

"Yeah, I see you. Can you see me?" Jace asked.

The video finally came in for Jaune and he went wide-eyed. "Huh… You look different. I can hardly recognize you."

"Yeah, I got that already," Jace rolled his eyes with a grin, "Anyways, here she is." He said and Alyss moved into the scroll's camera range.

She smiled in greeting. "Hi."

"Oh, um, hi! I'm Jaune Arc." He greeted her over stumbling over words in his head.

"I'm Alyss Wystar. Nice to meet you." She said and soon after, the rest of team JNPR came into view.

"Helllooo! Can you see me?" Nora called from the background.

"Yeah, we can. Hey Nora." Jace greeted the energetic girl.

Nora moved closer and snatched the scroll from Jaune's hand.

"Hey!" He protested as she looked through the camera.

"Oh, is this your new friend? She's pretty." Nora said and caused Alyss to smile.

"Thank you for the compliment. I'm Alyss." The cat Faunus greeted and waited to see if anyone would say something about her ears.

"Well I'm Nora…" The diminutive hammer wielder said and placed her hand on her chest, "And this is Pyrrha and Ren…" She pointed at the two in order. "We're team JNPR!" Nora finished and turned the scroll to them.

"Hello again Jace. And it's a pleasure to meet you Alyss." Pyrrha greeted.

"Lie Ren." Ren greeted quietly.

Alyss tilted her head and addressed her concern. "So, is no one going to talk about my ears?" She asked with a smile.

"They're adorable!" Nora called from the background, causing Alyss to blush.

"Well that's… unexpected… thanks Nora" Alyss said and laughed a bit.

"We have no issues with you being a Faunus, Alyss. Don't worry yourself." Ren said assuredly. Alyss smiled at his words.

"Thank you all. I'm gonna like it at Beacon." Alyss said, then the call was switched back to voice only.

"So how's training been?" Jace asked when Jaune retrieved his scroll.

"It's going as good as it can. Nora likes swinging her hammer around a lot. We've been getting ready for the tournament and I've even been trying to come up with some team moves, but I don't think they're listening."

"Y'know, I could've been in the tournament along with Genesis, but with our old teammates being really… unfocused I guess is a nicer word… and with all of that happening to us, it was out of the question." Jace said as he thought back to the two.

It was one boy with green and black hair that was too focused on the girl with light-blue and silver hair that was too focused on her looks and popularity. Michael Slater and Liza Flair, the two that caused the brothers so much grief in their short days at Atlas Academy.

"That sucks to hear, they sound like trouble already. Maybe you shouldn't think about them too much."

Jace let out a laugh at that. "Oh trust me, I've tried. I just need to get it out of my system, and I don't know if I'll ever see then again to do that." Jace replied, then grinned. "Although I'll admit Michael does have a decently cool weapon."

"Speaking of running a marathon, you sound pretty tired too. What've you been up to?" Jaune asked when he noticed Jace's heavy breathing.

"I've been practicing too. I can do something pretty cool now but I'd need to show you. It might just replace the need to make my own weapon." Jace replied.

"Really? That sounds like it's pretty cool already. Can't wait to see it."

After another few minutes of talking, Jace could see Vale in the distance.

"I'm seeing Vale now, so I guess I'll let you guys get back to training. Talk to you later, Jaune. Tell the rest I said I'll see them sometime."

"I will. Later, Jace." Jaune said as they ended the call. Shortly after, Jace called Yang.

"Hey Jace. Almost here?" She asked.

"Yeah, just about. We're still maybe thirty minutes away more or less. We'll see you then." Jace replied, seeing Vale become closer and closer.

"Alright, I'm on my way there. Seeya." They ended the call before Qrow came up to Jace.

"I take it that was Yang?" He asked as he leaned on the wall.

Jace nodded. "Yeah, she'll be waiting for us. Do you know where the General is? I need to ask him something."

Qrow raised an eyebrow. "I think he's in the captain's cabin. What do you need to ask?"

"Something about my name and my old teammates."

Alyss stayed on the bench while Jace went to look for Ironwood. After a few minutes of searching, he found the captain's cabin, along with the General.

"Ah, hello Jace. Feeling well?"

"Yeah, I'm feeling alright. How are you?"

"I'm well. What did you need?"

"I've been meaning I ask you, what happened to our old teammates after we were kidnapped?" Jace asked and noticed the expression on Ironwood's face change.

"They're failing, sadly. After you two were kidnapped, their grades started to drop drastically. It seems that you two were the only things keeping them afloat."

Jace sighed and shook his head. "We tried to help them out, push them, and just try to get them to do something, but they just wouldn't listen and they wouldn't try. I don't even know why they're there."

They sat in relative silence, the only sound being from the airship's engines. Jace thought back to how Michael, in his attempt to impress Liza, almost got Genesis killed when he stepped in Genesis' way against a few Beowulves in training and caused Genesis to hesitate. He was then mobbed by four Beowulves and was helpless until Jace could do something. Genesis had called Michael out on his stupidity and they nearly got in a fight. Jace separated them and they went back into Atlas the same way they left, if a bit worse off.

Ironwood broke the silence. "They won't be there for much longer if they don't straighten up. Just don't blame yourself for them failing."

Jace smiled at the words. "Don't worry, I can't blame myself for their stupidity."

Ironwood couldn't help but grin. "I admire your attitude towards the situation. I'm sorry for pairing you and Genesis with them."

Jace shook his head. "I don't blame you for it, you couldn't have known how they'd turn out." He looked out the window to see that Vale was very close now.

"One more thing, Jace. Just so you know, those two are in Beacon because of the exchange program." As Ironwood said that, Jace smiled.

"Well, it's gonna be fun if we see each other. Although they'll most likely blame me and Genesis for their problems."

"Alright! We're about to land! Get your asses ready!" Viktor yelled out through the intercom system, signaling that they were close to the docks.

Before Jace made his way to the cargo bay with Alyss, he turned back to Ironwood. "You don't hold anything against me for wanting to transfer to Beacon, do you?" He asked nervously.

The General quickly shook his head at the question. "No, I hold nothing against you. In fact, I respect that you want to stay close to those that saved you. Just remember that you always have a house to return to."

Jace felt a weight lift from his mind as he heard the General's words. "Thank you. There's something else I should tell you about too."

"What is it?"

"If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to have my last name changed to Reznor. To have something of dad's with me other than the color of my left eye being the same as his." Jace waited anxiously for a reply.

Ironwood grinned a bit and looked down. "To tell you the truth, after everything that I learned you'd been through, I just noticed your eyes." He said with a small chuckle. "Alright. When I get back to Atlas, I'll have it changed in our databases. I'll be sure to let Doctor Seabolte know as well. Would that be all?" Ironwood asked and Jace nodded his head.

"Yeah, that would be it. I guess I should get to the cargo bay now." Jace said before he shook Ironwood's hand and left the room.

For a few minutes, Jace and Alyss sat in the cargo bay. They felt the _Ravensword_ touch down as Qrow walked into the area. Jace quickly placed his sword into its case and he and Alyss mounted the motorcycle as Qrow walked up to them. When the cargo bay doors opened fully, Jace could make out a small figure in the distance, standing next to a motorcycle.

"I guess that's Yang." Jace said.

Qrow leaned in close, only giving Jace two words. "Gun it."

Jace smiled and started _Titan_. "Ready Alyss?" Jace asked the girl seated behind him.

"Ready." She answered and Jace did as Qrow said and shot out of the airship.

As they got closer, Jace could see Yang clearly, wearing a different outfit than what she wore before. She wore a cream colored top and a black short-skirt with black leggings, with her burning heart emblem displayed on the left, and a few straps going up under the skirt. A purple-colored flag hung off her belt on the left side of her hip. On her arms were black sleeves, with golden cuffs on the ends, that connected to each other by a strap across her collarbone. When Jace drove closer and closer, he could see the wide smile on her face, then her eyes went wide.

"You don't look like a caveman anymore. Kinda weird," She remarked with a grin, "So, this is what you meant by Bumblebee getting some company?" She asked.

"Yep! Yang, meet _Titan_! Genesis' old motorcycle." Jace replied more than happily.

Jace and Alyss stepped off of _Titan_ and stretched their limbs from the airship ride.

"Hey Alyss. How've you been?" Yang regarded the smaller girl.

"I've been really good. What about you?" Alyss asked in return.

"Good as I can be. Can't complain," Yang answered and shrugged, then addressed Jace's motorcycle. "That's a damn big motorcycle. What's the big boxes on the sides for?" She asked, then looked over Jace's shoulder, "Wait… where's your sword?"

Jace grinned as he laid his hand on the right compartment. He opened it up and pulled _Standoff_ from it, resting the blunt side on his shoulder. "What d'you think?" He asked with a smile.

"Oohhh, that's pretty cool! Where'd Genesis get the idea for it?"

"He actually got the idea from a movie we watched a long time ago. It's not like it at all, but it's good enough. That's what made him want one in the first place. It… It just really sucks that he didn't get to ride it much." Jace said with a frown, then he sighed and looked down.

He felt a soft hand on his shoulder from behind him, then he looked up to stare into supportive lilac eyes. "It's alright Jace. You got his spirit with you, right? In his sword? So it's kinda like he does get to ride it now. Y'know?"

Jace thought about that for a few moments, then he looked to Alyss and smiled a bit. "I guess you're right. Thanks Yang."

"Hey! Why don't you show her your cool shit!?" Jace heard Qrow yell from behind as he made his way up to them.

"What's he mean by that?" Yang asked in curiosity.

"I learned something new. Wanna see?" Jace asked with a grin.

"Aw what the hell, we got a few minutes before we go. What do ya got?"

Jace wasted no time in setting _Standoff_ back into the case and held his hands in the new position he practiced with. He saw the confusion on her face before he materialized a burn claymore, looking like red metal. He swung it around lightly and away from her, getting the feel for how much this one weighed.

"You're just full of surprises aren't you? I think Blake or Weiss might get a kick outta that. Can you make anything other than burn dust swords?"

Jace nodded and grinned. "Just three things so far. Earth, burn, and ice."

"How's your arm?" Yang asked as Jace dematerialized the blade.

"Well, I need to get the finer movements down. I broke a glass with it. And we fought some Beowulves when we went walking in the forest and it didn't lock up or anything. Alyss fought pretty good too." Jace said and smiled at the cat Faunus.

"Thanks Jace." She smiled at the compliment.

"I see all of you are getting along nicely." Qrow said as he finally reached them.

"Hey uncle Qrow, how's it going?" Yang asked as she gave him a strong hug.

"It's… going… Now stop breaking my ribs!" Qrow breathed out and Yang stepped from him. "So Jace, what do you think of the other one you met the other day? Auron I think his name was?" Qrow asked. "I already know what you think of Alyss since you asked her to tag along with you."

Jace didn't have to think on an answer. "Honestly, I already think that we can all make a good team. I really can't wait for the initiation."

"Well, I hope you have fun with it. Anyways, I'm outta here. You three go do whatever." Qrow said and turned to walk away.

"Later, Qrow." Jace replied back to him.

"Welp, I'm ready to go when you guys are." Yang said as she strapped on her helmet and slipped on a pair of aviators.

Before Jace or Alyss got to answer, General Ironwood's car stopped next to them. He stepped out of the car and extended his hand to Jace.

"Jace, Alyss, I wish you both well in your initiation. Good luck. And Jace, always remember that you have a house to return to."

Jace shook his hand and nodded. "Thank you, sir. Take care."

"And Yang, is it? I wish your team luck in the tournament." Ironwood said to the blonde bruiser.

"Thank you. I'm confident that team RWBY'll come out on top!" She said with a grin.

The General couldn't help but smile at the confidence. "Take care, all of you." He said as he stepped back into the car.

"Well Yang, I'm good to go now." Jace said as he slipped the riding goggles over his eyes.

"You could probably go ahead and take me home. I'm sure mom's worried about me." Alyss said and both Jace and Yang nodded.

"You guys can lead then." Yang stated and hopped on _Bumblebee_.

"You good with directions?" Jace asked Alyss.

"I get by well enough."

The two mounted _Titan_ and strapped on their helmets, then they took off from the airdocks.

* * *

It took thirty minutes to reach the residential district and another thirty to navigate through the streets to Alyss' home. The two motorcycles came to a stop just outside the house and Alyss stepped off from behind Jace and retrieved _Soul Leaf_.

She turned to hug Jace. "I had a really great time in Atlas. Thanks for inviting me." She said to him.

"You made it a lot better for me. I'm glad I asked you to come." Jace replied.

They didn't break contact for several moments while Yang looked on with a raised eyebrow. Alyss stepped from Jace and smiled. "Bye Jace, bye Yang. See you later."

"Later." Yang said with a wave.

"Yeah, see you later." Jace said with a smile and watched her walk into her home. He stared for a few moments before Yang spoke up.

"Soooo, are you ready to go or what?" She asked and broke Jace from his thoughts.

"Um, yeah, I'm good to go." He replied and took his gaze from the door.

"Alright Jace…" She started with a grin as she ignited the powerful engine of her motorcycle. "Try to keep up!"

Jace followed and stomped the lever to give life to _Titan_. Yang bolted forward and Jace wasted no time in gunning it after her, catching up within seconds. "You're not getting rid of me that easy!" He yelled with amusement in his voice.

* * *

Winding through light traffic and empty streets, Jace kept up well all the way to the garages. It took thirty minutes to arrive with the speed they were going, which was most likely past the limit. They pulled into the small parking lot and in front of a larger garage.

"That was a fun ride. Didn't think I'd keep up, did you?" Jace asked with a grin as he stepped off of _Titan_.

"I was goin' easy on ya is all. Now here, let me verify your scroll to open the door up." Yang replied, then Jace handed her his scroll.

With that out of the way, Yang opened the garage door and rolled _Bumblebee_ inside. Jace followed soon after, then took his sword from it and placed it on his back.

"This is big enough isn't it?" He said, remarking at the size of the garage they were in.

"Eh, I like the extra space for _Bumblebee_. Gives me room to work on her some when I need to too and when I got the time. Want some company back to the hospital?"

"Sure, I don't mind."

After walking for a bit in silence, Yang stopped and turned toward Jace. "What's goin' on between you two?" She asked and Jace stared at her, confused, until he figured out what she meant.

He sighed and shook his head. "I… honestly don't know."

Yang stood in front of him and looked him in the eyes. "What did you two do in Atlas anyways?" She asked with curiosity.

"Well, the day after I got my arm, we went to an antique weapon gallery first thing and almost got booted out by the receptionist before the curator came out." Jace laughed at the memory, "Then we went to a mall and I bought her that bow she wore for her hair and that helmet. After that, we ate at a restaurant. We went back to my house and watched a movie for most of the night. Then yesterday, I took her to a spot in the forest that's really peaceful and stayed out there last night."

Jace went over all the things they did and Yang looked at him curiously. "There's more to it than that, isn't there?"

Jace hesitated a moment, then nodded slowly. "Every time she says or does a certain thing, I feel a weird pressure in my chest. It doesn't hurt, it feels kinda good. The first night we were there, she told me about what happened to her as a kid, and I told her about what all happened to me and Gen. We ended up sleeping on the couch together." He said and gave a small smile. "Ever since I met her the other day, she's made me calm whenever I was nervous or anxious, like when I was asking Ironwood about my house or when I was about to get my arm. After I told her about the things that happened, she laid her head on my shoulder and my mind just calmed down completely from remembering that stuff," Jace explained and sighed.

"I'm not gonna deny it… I think I'm in love with her."

Yang thought for a moment before she said anything. "I take it that you haven't said anything to her?"

"No I didn't. I don't know if she feels the same way about me or not and I don't want to ask her and risk making everything awkward between us." Jace replied and stared into the sky.

"If she didn't feel _something_ , I don't think she would've laid her head on your shoulder like you said. You might regret it if you don't tell her." Yang stated and let her words sink in.

After a few moments of thinking over what Yang said, Jace looked at her and sighed. "You might be right. I just have more thinking to do. Let's go." He said and they continued on toward the hospital.

* * *

They walked in relative silence, taking in the unusual silence and peace as the the sun was on the horizon.

"I think I could get used to the silence for a bit, especially with the tournament coming up." Yang said as they walked, her hair flowing slightly in the breeze.

"You and me both. But for different reasons, y'know?" Jace replied and looked over his prosthetic.

"Mhmm, that I do. Wait… " She stopped and got Jace's attention from where he was looking at his arm.

"What is it?"

"What's goin' on up ahead?" She asked, drawing Jace's attention to the scene in front of them.

There were ten people surrounding one girl in a cloak. She looked to be around five feet and four inches in height. It definitely wasn't Ruby as the cloak was grey in color and slung over her back she had a sniper rifle that was very large for her size, the barrel extending to just above her knees in length. She also had a longbow on her back, with the string going diagonally across her torso to hold it there.

"Well this is a thing…" Yang remarked and transformed _Ember Celica_ , ready for combat.

"The hell's going on?" Jace asked as he materialized a burn claymore and held it ready.

As the two walked closer, Jace could hear an oddly familiar and annoying voice. "Alright little girl, you give us your lien and we won't hurt you. Not too bad at least." The man said and laughed harshly.

"You… really don't know what you're getting into, do you?" The girl asked and stood her ground. She grabbed the stock of her rifle, which shifted form and turned into a hilt. She took hold and pulled out a single-edged sword from the body of the gun. She stood with her blade pointed toward the thug as he laughed.

It was a nervous laugh.

"Oh, so you're gonna make it hard are ya? Well boys, get-" His voice was cut short by the sight he caught at the corner of his eye.

Jace ran and jumped toward them, his burning sword held above him, and slammed his sword into the ground, sending a fiery shockwave to the thugs in front of him and crumbling the blade from the great force.

 _"Damn it, more practice."_ He thought to himself as he sent two people flying backwards while the others held their ground.

In the thugs' shock, Jace stood back to back with the girl. "Want some help?" He asked, not taking his eyes from the leader.

She turned her head slightly to his voice. "If you want to. I don't mind."

"Shit, it's you again!?" The thug leader yelled out.

Jace could now place the familiar voice as the man who tried to mug him a few days prior. As they stood apart from each other, Jace materialized another burn claymore from his hands in four seconds, causing the leader to recoil in shock. Before anyone made a move, a distinct battle cry filled the silence.

"RRRAAAAAAAAAAHH!" It was Yang, yelling as she was flying toward two thugs with what looked to be a grin on her face.

They tried to swing their weapons at her, but she proved to be too fast for their clumsy and panicked attacks. She struck at them with a flurry of left and right hooks, blasting them with _Ember Celica_ as Jace dove toward the leader with his dustblade. The two traded blows for a whole two seconds before Jace got the better of the uncoordinated man, breaking past his defense easily. Jace hit him four times, dulling the blade with his aura, with the final one sending a wave of fire that sent the man down an alleyway. The fire bit into the corners of two buildings and scorched the spots black. When Jace turned around to the rest of the fight, he could barely duck under a man flying through the air.

"Sorry Jace!" Yang yelled with a laugh.

The cloaked girl was engaged with two more thugs. She blocked and parried their attacks with ease, striking out at their midsections with the blunt end of her sword when she had the frequent opportunity. One of them grew furious and threw a wild swing at her. She easily ducked under it, allowing it to strike the other man. Before the two could react to the one's mistake, the girl spun as fast as a buzzsaw and kicked him in the side of the head, knocking him out, then reversed her spin and kicked the other in the gut, bending him over. When he raised back up, she tilted her body on her left leg as she lifted and extended her right leg to place a powerful kick under the man's jaw, sending him to the ground.

As Yang fought with two more, the first two that Jace knocked away came back. As they approached, Jace shot steam from his prosthetic hand to blind one of them as he engaged the other. Jace drug the claymore in an upward arc, creating a burning crevice in the ground as he sent the man up into the air with an uppercut.

Before he could capitalize himself, the cloaked girl jumped into the air and drop-kicked him in the face, sending him crashing into the blinded man. As those two were dealt with, Yang finished her fun and sent the last two thugs into a wall with two powerful punches, knocking them out.

They looked around the area and Jace held his prosthetic in front of himself. "Still doing good." He said to himself, then regarded his dusblade that was still in his hands. "I think I'm getting closer to my balance."

"Now that we've dealt with this little squash match, I think it's time for introductions!" Yang said, chipper as always.

Jace gave it some thought. "Maybe we should get away from here first before they wake up."

"I agree, let's go." The cloaked girl said after she sent a message to someone and sheathed her sword, the hilt turning back into a stock.

* * *

They covered a fair distance from the thugs, then they stopped for introductions.

"I'm Raine. Raine Daturas. Good to meet you both." The girl said, sliding her hood off to reveal deep red hair, light red eyes and…

Fox ears. Both were covered in red fur the same color as her hair and had small tufts of black fur on the tips of them.

"You too, Raine. I'm Jace St-" He caught himself before he said his former name. "Jace Reznor."

Yang glanced at Jace, then turned back toward Raine. "And I'm Yang Xiao Long. I'm not gonna lie, those ears are pretty freaking cute." She said, drawing a chuckle from the shorter girl.

"That's… not the reaction I expected, but thank you, Yang." Raine replied. "I remember you from Signal. I don't think we've ever talked." She said to Yang.

"Huh. Now that I think about it, your name _does_ sound familiar." Yang replied.

"I never made a habit of talking to much people, honestly." Raine said, then regarded them both. "I take it you two have no problems with us Faunus?"

Yang was the first to reply. "Pfft, of course not! Faunus deserve every bit of love that a human can get. There are bad apples in the bunch, sure. Same with humans. But most of you guys are friendly as can be." She said, drawing a smile from the fox girl.

"And what about you, Jace?"

Jace nodded his head at her. "Yang pretty much hit the nail on the head. I've met a few Faunus, more in the past month than I have my whole life, and they're some of the friendliest people I've ever met. I grew up in Atlas around all of that hate, but I really never understood any of it. As long as no one, Faunus or human, messes with me or my friends, then I don't really care one way or another." Jace finished, drawing a bigger smile from Raine.

"Two friendly people. I like Vale. What made you both want to help out?"

Jace thought for a moment before replying. "I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that you'll be taking the initiation at Beacon, right?"

Raine raised an eyebrow at that. "You'd be right. How did you guess?"

"Well, I've already met the two others that'll be taking it and they didn't look like anyone I've seen here. I'll be taking it too, it should be soon now that I have this." He raised his left arm up to Raine, then continued. "And you look a whole lot different than anyone I've seen, so I just figured you'd be there too."

"You guessed that just by looks? Pretty cool, Jace." Yang said.

"Yeah, really." Raine agreed and they started walking toward the hospital.

* * *

Halfway to the hospital, Raine parted ways with them. "You care to trade numbers?" Jace asked her.

"Yeah, sure. Keeping in touch?" She asked as she brought out her scroll.

"Yeah. Sometime soon, I want to get all four of us together before the initiation so we can learn more about each other. And I'll be asking teams RWBY and JNPR, and Doctor Oobleck to be there too, to just have a good time. You up for that, Yang?" Jace asked as he turned to the golden-haired girl.

She gave him a grin of excitement. "You bet! I'm sure the others'll wanna go too."

"I'll look forward to it then, Jace. You two take care." Raine replied and started to leave.

"You too." Jace and Yang said after her.

As they walked on, Yang turned to address Jace. "When did you decide to change your last name?"

Jace looked to her and gave a small smile. "Yesterday, really. I decided to leave my old name in the past with the memory of the two people that abandoned me. I'm going by Jace Reznor now for dad, since I have Gen's sword."

Yang nodded in understanding. "I'll let the others know so they won't be confused."

A few minutes later, Yang received a call from Ruby and Jace waited patiently while leaning against a wall. Jace could swear he dozed off for a few seconds.

"OH CRAP! I'll be there as soon as I can!" Yang yelled and broke Jace from his state.

"Dust! What!? What's wrong!?" Jace asked quickly and went for his sword.

"I forgot that we have a report for Oobleck's class! Crap! Weiss is gonna yell at me and you do _not_ want to know what that's like! I gotta go! Seeya later, Jace!" She said and started running full sprint.

"See you whenever!" Jace called after her and relaxed his hands, watching her before she disappeared around a corner.

Jace was left alone with his thoughts as he walked toward the hospital. His mind drifted back and forth between multiple things. Such as what the initiation would hold for them. They'd be fighting Grimm, given that it will be in the Emerald Forest. He smiled to himself. As long as there isn't any Armaddons, he didn't care. The most prominent thought on his mind though was Alyss, and how he should tell her about his feelings.

He arrived at the hospital shortly after and was stopped at the front desk. "You're back? Something came in for you, we put it in your room." The receptionist told him.

"Alright. Thanks." Jace said and went to his room.

He stepped in and closed the door, then noticed a box on his bed. He walked to it and opened it up, revealing multiple patches of his emblem. His wolf's head holding his father's cross sideways in its mouth, exactly how he asked. Jace smiled and went to work on his outfit. It was later than what he thought and it was around eight o'clock when he started. He laid all of the things out that he needed. Other than basic sewing supplies, he bought two pairs of gloves. One pair was thick, black leather, and the other pair was thin, wool and fingerless. He also bought a few black sleeveless shirts, a checkered, red and green, long-sleeved button-up shirt, and a sleeveless black denim vest.

From the top part of the outfit he had already, Jace took all of the armor off and laid it to the side. Since what he wanted to do was simple, all he had to do for the moment was cut a good sized piece of cloth from a shirt and use it as a sleeve on the jacket to go over his prosthetic. He used heavy silver thread to piece it together to go with it. It took Jace almost two hours after that to get the armor attached to the jacket. He had, very heavily, sewn it into the right areas on the side. He had decided not to reuse the old pauldrons from it, for more movement in his shoulders. Before he forgot, he attached the magnetic weapon holder from the old outfit to his new jacket.

"Well, I hope I didn't screw up." He said to himself as he tried the jacket on.

It fit perfectly, not overly tight to constrict his movement and not overly loose to get in the way. He took a short break before he started to work on his emblem.

Unskilled as he was with embroidery, Jace had to practice on spare pieces of cloth before he tried with the jacket. At twelve o'clock and with an hour of practice, he prepared to apply the patches to both the jacket and his long-sleeved shirt. For the jacket, he used the a small one to go on the upper-left breast of it and for the shirt, he used a larger one to cover the back. He went as slow as he could to prevent from making a mistake, taking four hours into the night to complete it. He checked to make sure everything still fit the way it should, and Jace was done.

After he looked over his new outfit in satisfaction, he cleared the bed off and changed into his sleepwear, a sleeveless black shirt and black sweatpants. Even as tired as he was, he wasn't able to fall asleep just yet due to his mounting excitement of the coming days. Jace shook his head and breathed deeply, trying to clear his head. After he did, it took only a few moments to drift into slumber.

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: Welcome home, Jace.**

 **Another long chapter. I have more of these than I thought.**

 **Jace had a talk with Yang and now he needs to really find out what he wants to do. Plus he met the last one taking the initiation, Raine. So there's that, and the plans for a future chapter. And Jace has a new outfit too, so he's feeling pretty good.**

 **See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	18. Chapter 17: Back to School

**Back To School**

The dream Jace had that night was unpleasant to say the least. Everyone in it besides himself were mere silhouettes, battling Grimm in a ruined city. Unable to do anything, he had to witness very horrifying sights.

One person torn apart, another stabbed by a sword, another who's arm was cut off at the elbow, someone eaten alive by a Grimm, a woman frantically looking through the evaporating bodies of the Grimm as she cried, and someone that was shot through the chest with an arrow. Through everything he saw in the dream, he could do nothing to help with invisible chains holding him in place.

Then, it happened again. He saw the horrifying form of Genesis with his hand held out towards him, smiling with jagged and sharp teeth. Then, next to Genesis, he saw himself. Battered, burned, bloody, and missing his left arm. Black veins surrounded his other self's eyes and the eyes turned blood red. He reached out toward him like Genesis.

Somewhere behind him, he heard something that jarred him awake.

 _"You will all fall."_

He cut off a scream as he sat up in his bed. He looked around the room frantically before realizing that it was just a nightmare. "What the hell…" He breathed out and slowly, calming himself down from the experience.

It was seven-sixteen in the morning, barely three hours since he fell asleep. He got out of bed and stepped into the restroom to splash cold water on his face to wake himself up. When he was done doing that, he picked up his scroll to call Headmaster Ozpin.

"Ah, hello Mr. Storm. Is everything alright?" Ozpin asked.

"Yes sir. I was just wondering if I would be able to sit in on some classes today and have a sparring match. Would that be alright? I also want to talk with you in person about something else if you have the time."

"Is your prosthetic treating you well?" Ozpin asked.

"Surprisingly it is. It feels strange, I'll admit, but it's really amazing. I'm getting used to it already, I don't know how, but I am," Jace replied with a smile, "I just can't grab glass things with it yet."

"That's good to hear, with the exception of the glass part. You may sit in on the classes today if you arrive on time and you may have a sparring match if Glynda will allow it. I'm sure she would love the opportunity to gauge a new student's abilities. When the classes are done, come see me in my office. I'll let the Professors know that you'll be there."

"Thank you, I'll make my way over there. There's… something else, too…" Jace said and thought of how he could ask.

"What is it, Mr. Storm?" Ozpin asked after a moment of silence.

"That's what it is. I don't want my last name to be Storm anymore. I'd like to go by Jace Reznor now, after my dad." Jace answered finally.

"Is there a reason for this?" Ozpin asked curiously.

"Because the people that left me in the streets can take their last name with them. I want to leave that behind and honor the one that actually cared for me." Jace said and waited for a reply.

After a few moments, Ozpin gave an answer. "Consider it done. Would that be all Mr. Reznor?"

"Yes sir, thank you. I'll see you when I can." Jace said with relief.

"I look forward to it."

When they ended the call, Jace wasted no time in throwing on his new outfit, placing his sword on his back and _Atronach_ in its holster, then he left the hospital.

* * *

It took Jace nearly an hour to get to Beacon running as he was, focusing bolt dust through his body to propel himself forward. He was tired from the use of the dust in him, but he arrived at the school on time. To him, that's all that matters.

The first class that day would be with Professor Port with Grimm Studies. After that would be basic medical and field medicine training with Professor Peach. Third is Advanced Dust Techniques with Armstrong. Fourth is Geography with Wolfe. Fifth would be History with Doctor Oobleck. And the last he would visit would be the sparring matches, overseen by Professor Goodwitch.

When he arrived in the Grimm Studies classroom, he was greeted by a middle aged man, who looked slightly overweight in his uniform, with a neatly groomed mustache and head of hair.

"Ah, hello young man. I take it you're Jace Reznor. Ozpin told me there would be a visitor sitting in today." The man said, offering his hand in greeting.

Jace took the man's hand and shook it firmly. "Yes sir. Pleased to meet you."

"I am Professor Port, welcome to Grimm Studies." Port said to him.

"I have to ask, does this class go over Armaddons yet?" Jace asked.

Port shook his head quickly. "No, not yet I'm afraid. We really don't have much to go on with them."

"I know a decent amount I think, at least what they look like and some of what they do if you'd let me talk to your class."

The Professor thought over it for a moment. "I believe I'll allow it. How do you know about them?"

"I was almost killed by one, I was saved by Doctor Oobleck and team RWBY." Jace replied, getting a slow nod from Port.

"So you're the boy that Bart told me about, and the boy those girls wouldn't stop talking about for a month? Hmm, well, when the class starts, I'll let you go over the subject with them. It shouldn't be much longer until they start coming through the door."

Five minutes later, the students started arriving sleepily through the door, some looking at Jace curiously while others paid no mind. Some seemed excited at the prospect of getting out of one of Port's stories. When teams RWBY and JNPR walked in the door, they saw Jace and waved.

Jace smiled and waved back, he also nodded a silent 'thank you' to Yang for giving him something new to think over about his situation as he barely noticed something shifting slightly in the corner of the room. He couldn't tell much, so he ignored it, watching the room fill with students.

As the final students sat down, Port called them to attention. "Alright, students!" He yelled, grabbing their attention with his booming voice, "Today we'll mostly be going over some aquatic Grimm, such as Wretches and Krooks. But first, we have someone here that has had first hand experience with a new type of Grimm. Mr. Reznor, I'll let you speak now."

Jace nodded and stepped forward. He took a deep breath and addressed them. "Besides teams RWBY and JNPR, who's heard of an Armaddon?" He saw several hands raised, but not all.

"Okay, has anyone fought one?" This time, thankfully, no hands raised.

"Trust me, you don't want to. One almost killed me a while back and I was saved by team RWBY. It was large, had heavy bone plating, and it was stronger than any Alpha Beowolf or Ursa. It'd say it was probably close to being as strong as a Goliath, but I wouldn't know how strong one of those are. It had a big blade-like horn on its face, spikes on its back and the backs of its front legs, and had four big eyes. Any questions?" Jace asked, looking around the room.

One girl raised her hand. "How did you end up fighting one?"

"I was looking for materials for a weapon. It was in a horde of Grimm that me and team RWBY got caught in. Any more questions?" When no one else raised their hand, Jace continued.

"One thing that you'd really need to watch out for is that they can breathe fire. After it charged me and knocked me through a few trees, it ran up to me and burned my arm pretty bad. At the time, my aura was depleted from constant fighting and it left really bad scars on my right arm. The main thing I can tell you is that if any of you ever see one, be extremely careful, or just run. That's all I can say. Any last questions?"

This time a boy raised his hand. "Were you able to kill it?"

Jace shook his head. "No, we couldn't. It took an ice shard through the side and a slash from Ruby's scythe and it didn't go down. It only stunned it enough so we could get away. Anything else?" He asked and saw one more hand raise, the boy Jaune warned him of. Cardin.

"Why isn't your arm scarred?" He asked plainly.

"Because I met a girl with a healing semblance and she was able to heal it easily. If you don't believe me, ask Ruby. Professor, I think that's all I can say about them." Jace said and turned to go sit down.

Professor Port finished writing his notes and stood up, "Thank you Mr. Reznor. Now, remember what you learned from this boy. It could mean life or death in the future. As for the day's lesson, as I said, we'll be going over Wretches and Krooks…" From there, he delved into the anatomy of the two water-dwelling Grimm. Explaining the need to watch out for the Wretches' jagged teeth and the Krooks' gaping maws, also warning the students that they would never be able to out-swim one.

The lecture went on for nearly the rest of the class. As he finished, he turned to Jace, "Before the class ends, would you like to demonstrate your fighting capability?"

"Oh, I'd love to." Jace replied with a smile.

Jace took position on the opposite end of the room from the cage. He took _Standoff_ from his back and held it ready.

"Are you prepared?" Port asked.

Jace nodded and the Professor broke open the lock of the cage, revealing a Boarbatusk. It charged out of the cage, squealing in rage as it spotted Jace. It bound itself up into a tight ball and started spinning, giving itself the momentum it needed to charge at Jace. It let itself fly, looking to crush him with its weight.

From his and Genesis' times in the virtual-reality training simulations in Atlas, he remembered how his brother had dealt with these. As it got closer, Jace planted his sword firmly in the ground at a slant, making it into a ramp for the Grimm. It hit Jace's sword and flew up into the air, squealing even louder as it unbound itself from its rolling form. Jace used _Standoff_ as a stepping stone as he jumped into the air after it, quickly summoning an ice claymore, drawing gasps from some students, and slicing the beast in two. The blade froze the two halves and they fell to the ground with a loud crash.

Jace landed on his feet and took a breath as he dematerialized the claymore. _"Damn… I might've put a bit too much into that one."_ He thought to himself.

As the Boarbatusk thawed and evaporated into black mist, Jace pulled his sword from the ground. He was placing it back onto his back when Professor Port walked up to him.

"Well done Mr. Reznor! Very smart use of your sword for a Boarbatusk!"

"Thank you sir. I'm sorry about the floor." Jace replied.

"Don't fret over it. It can be fixed by tomorrow." Port said to him and turned toward the rest of the class. "Now students, I want you to remember every detail of what this young man has told us about Armaddons, we'll be going over them extensively in the future once more is known of them. Good day." He finished as the bell rang, signaling the end of class.

Jace made his way out the door, meeting up with his friends as he stepped from the room. "Hey guys, how's it going?" He greeted them.

"It's going good." Jaune answered him.

"Good work with the Grimm, Jace." Ren said, nodding to him.

Then Yang spoke up. "Yeah, you took care of it better than Weiss did last semester!" She said excitedly, poking fun at the platinum-haired heiress.

"I was having an off day!" She retorted quickly, turning her face to Yang.

"It was our first day, and it was an 'off day?'" Yang replied, crossing her arms and smirking toward her.

Ruby quickly stepped between the two and held her hands out toward each of them, "So Jace, I like your outfit!" She said, trying to defuse the argument before it started. Yang looked over Ruby's head and winked at Weiss, causing her to blush and turn away.

"Thanks Ruby, it took me almost all night to make it. And it took me almost four hours alone to get my emblem straight," Jace said, then grinned, "So, do I make a good teacher?"

"At least you don't go on and on and on like Port does." Nora said with a sigh.

"When we have time, I'd like for you to show me your newfound ability, if you don't mind." Weiss requested when she regained herself as they went to the next class.

* * *

They shortly made their way to Professor Peach's classroom and sat down. Caught up in getting prepared for class, she simply nodded at Jace, signifying that she knew he was supposed to be there.

It went by rather quickly with the Professor ending on field-stitching open wounds someone may sustain if their aura was taken down. When the class ended, the group of friends stood and walked from the room. They quickly made their way over to Armstrong's classroom, where the smell of dust filled the air. That was the day he taught about crafting explosives with dust. That class went smoothly, as smoothly as one filled with explosions can go, with Nora on the edge of her seat with every explosive showing.

Geography was slow going with Wolfe going over the tactical advantages and disadvantages of the areas the Kingdoms sat on, such as the mountains around Vale to provide a natural wall around the Kingdom's capital. After that class was over, the group of nine quickly walked out to stretch their limbs.

"Since you have a few minutes before history, I'm gonna go on and talk to Oobleck. I'll see you all there." Jace said, then walked toward the next class.

It took him a few minutes to get there, considering he walked slower to think to himself. When he arrived, he saw Doctor Oobleck sitting at his desk, sifting through papers at lightning speeds, taking frequent sips of his coffee.

"You know, you should try honey in that sometime. It gives it a sweeter taste." Jace said as he walked to the desk.

Oobleck looked up and smiled, laying his papers down as he stood up. "Ah, Jace, good to see you again. How have you been?" He asked while shaking Jace's hand.

"I've been really good. I just got finished with Wolfe's class. How are you?"

"I'm well, thank you. I was just grading papers. Ozpin let me know about your decision with your name. It is very honorable. How do you like your new arm?" Oobleck asked, nodding to the prosthetic.

Jace rolled the sleeve up to show the metal of the arm, "I love it, it gave me a beating when it got attached, but I've been doing decent with it so far." Jace said and rolled the sleeve back down. "What do you plan on going over today?"

"Since you are with us today, I thought I might go over the recent kidnappings. I'd like to have you speak, but I suggest not mentioning that you were experimented on, it may make some students… uneasy."

Jace shook his head. "If I don't talk fully about what happened, they might not take it as seriously as they should," He shuddered at the next thought, "They need to know how dangerous it is to infuse dust in yourself. People were crystallized there and I don't want anyone else to suffer that. The thing is, I still don't know if that'll happen to me… I think that the more I talk about it, the easier it gets too."

"Very well. When everyone arrives, I'll talk to them for a moment, then leave the rest to you."

"I have this book that I took from that place too. It's about aura and dust. What I've read of it it says that you need control of your aura and you need to do infuse it in very small amounts. I don't know how I survived that.

"What matters is that you keep careful with it. We still do not know what may happen."

"Yeah, I know." Jace agreed.

They waited for fifteen more minutes before the students started to arrive. While they came in, Jace looked down and prepared himself to speak about all of that again. He looked back up to see Cardin with his team of Dove Bronzewing, Russell Thrush, and Sky Lark glaring a hole through him.

 _"What's their problem?"_ Jace thought to himself.

As the final students entered the room and took their seats, Oobleck called them all to attention. "Students, today we'll be going over a very serious matter. As you all know, I take great strides to teach history to the best of my ability. Both to better ourselves and to keep the past from repeating itself to haunt us. Now, who all has heard of the recent kidnappings?" He asked, seeing multiple hands raise, but not all. He shook his head at that fact and Jace sighed.

"Do any of you have any idea what the kidnappings were about?" He asked, this time seeing one hand raise. Cardin's.

"Most likely, it was for lien. After all, it does make the world go 'round." He said, smiling to himself.

Oobleck shook his head slowly with a disappointed look on his face. "That couldn't be further from the truth, Mr. Winchester. Experiments, very heinous experiments. Jace, if you believe you can explain it, I will leave the rest to you." Oobleck said, drawing a loud sigh from Cardin.

"Oh for dust-sake, this guy again." He said, loudly enough for Jace to hear.

"Hey. Cardin, right? I think you should shut your damn mouth and listen to what I have to say." Jace responded, causing Cardin to rise angrily from his seat.

"What makes you think-"

"Mr. Winchester! Sit back down and keep your mouth shut! This is a serious matter!" Oobleck interrupted with a shout, causing Cardin and the entire class to jump from his words. Everyone was surprised at his uncharacteristic outburst, and they knew that this matter was indeed serious. Cardin sat back down, crossing his arms and glaring at Jace.

"Thank you," Jace nodded to Oobleck and turned to the class, "Does anyone here know a person that was kidnapped?" Jace asked, seeing no hands raise.

Jace closed his eyes and sighed in relief. "Thank Oum… Okay, like Doctor Oobleck said, they used the people that were kidnapped for really horrible experiments. They involved humans, Faunus, dust, and…Grimm. It was complete hell for them. They had to go through extreme torture and near-starvation in that place. Any questions so far?" He asked, seeing a boy's hand raise.

"How do you know any of this?"

"Well, me and…" Jace paused and took a deep breath, "Me and my brother were kidnapped a few months ago, back in March. We were… part of those experiments, but he died after we escaped. They put all types of dust in me, making me able to use their base elements and their combinations at will," He demonstrated his powers with his right hand, summoning fire, ice, earth, and lightning. Then he materialized an earth dust blade to demonstrate also.

"I also have the Faunus' night vision, hearing, and smell, that DNA gave me one red eye. The lead scientist there never got the chance to put any Grimm DNA in us before we got out. He wanted to wait. That man is gone and dead now, and that place was overrun by a horde of Grimm. They won't ruin any more families. Both me and my brother paid a high price to escape that nightmare, now hopefully no one else will have to suffer through it. I just want you all to remember something, the price of freedom is steep." He sighed and shook his head, "Any last questions?"

Cardin raised his hand. "How do we know any of this is true? You could be lying for all we know." He asked, thinking that he said what the others were thinking.

"Yeah! What if you're just trying to look cool?" Cardin's teammate, Russell, agreed with his leader.

"Mr. Winchester! Mr. Thrush! You two are out of line!" Oobleck shot them both a withering glare before he turned to Jace. "You don't have to answer that question."

Jace's focus wasn't on him as he sighed heavily and glared back at Cardin. "Why the hell else would I be here to talk about it? Why would I lie about losing my own brother? Why would anyone lie about losing their family?" He asked and narrowed his eyes at him.

"I told you that we both paid a price," He said as he took off his jacket, revealing his prosthetic arm and drawing gasps from most students that hadn't seen him during his tour. "This is the price I paid, and my brother paid with his own life. Our dad died there too, and he wasn't even part of those fucking experiments," Jace's eyes started to well up as he tried to keep calm in a losing battle, "The body I've lost, the family I've lost… it won't stop hurting, it'll _never_ stop!" He started yelling now, losing control of his emotions as he was faced with the accusation of being a liar. He could handle being called a liar about the experiments, but accused of lying about his family's death…

"Do you wanna know what we did there!? There were so many others like I said! Just failed experiments to them! Warped and deformed people that were suffering! Have you ever seen a man with the skull of a bird!? Or the arms of a Beowulf!? What about seeing someone's whole body crystallized!? That's what some of them were!? All of them would've starved or been eaten alive by that horde of Grimm! They would've all died a slow and painful death if we didn't do something!" Jace never tore his glare from Cardin or his team. His eyes were shining with tears of anger.

"We walked through the cells and put all of those poor people out of their misery! You have no damn idea how hard that is to deal with! I have to live with that for all my days and I won't stand to be called a liar by anyone, Cardin!" Jace closed his eyes and swallowed through the dryness in his throat, "If you want proof, ask Oobleck, ask team RWBY. They saved my life from that hell… I can even show you that scientist's journal, not that you'd understand it…"

"So… you're a freak _and_ a murderer?" Cardin sneered.

Yang bashed her fists against her desk and stood up, her eyes flaring crimson. "Cardin! Don't you dare call him that!" She yelled at him, "He's done a lot more good than your sorry ass!"

"Oh I'm _sorry_. I thought that murder was a bad thing." He remarked.

"If I'm a damn murderer for giving them peace… then that's what I'll be…" Jace lowered his voice and tried to regain his composure. He breathed deeply and placed his right hand on the prosthetic at the memory of the other prisoners and his family. He sighed heavily in sadness. "I didn't tell anyone about what we did because I was afraid I'd be called a monster… I wanted to do the right thing… _We_ wanted to… I only told one person that because she trusted me with something that happened to her. I hope the rest of you can understand what we did… why we did that. Doctor Oobleck, I'm… I'm done now. I need to calm down." Jace said, then looked back to Cardin, "And Cardin, you can burn in hell for calling me a liar about my family…" He walked to his seat and laid his head in his hands.

Oobleck stood and walked forward. "Thank you, Mr. Reznor. I understand completely. And Cardin, I want to see both you and Russell after class."

No one could see a strange, cloaked figure exit the room.

Jace's mind zoned out for the remainder of class, his thoughts drifting frantically in his head. What would people, most importantly his friends, think of him now? The rest could think what they want, it was the thought of his friends drifting away and distancing themselves from him that completely worried him. Yang had stood up for him, but he just didn't know what to think. That was the only piece of information he had left out in all of his times explaining his past to them, now the whole truth was out there and he didn't know what may happen.

 _"Is this how Blake feels with being ex-White Fang?"_ He asked himself in his head, _"No… I doubt she ever killed any innocent people…"_

Jace still held his head in his hands when the bell rang, although he didn't pay any attention to it. He raised his head with tears falling from his eyes when he noticed Oobleck and team RWBY come up to him.

"So… The whole thing's out there now… I really hope-" He was cut off by Ruby, who leaned down to hug him.

"It's alright Jace. We understand."

"Yeah, don't worry man. We all got a demon in our closet. Dust knows I do." Yang said after her.

Weiss echoed her statement. "It's similar to what I have to deal with, being under my father's shadow. Having to deal with constant stress and worry about backlash, about what people may think of me…" She said, referring to the things that her father has done in his seat at the head of her family's company, and what could happen to her, like what happened to countless others near her father. "Constant worrying about who could be a friend or just someone who wants my money. Constant looking over my shoulder for… anything."

Blake spoke next as Ruby stepped away from Jace. "You did what a lot of people would be too afraid to do. And you also proved that you have a greater heart than most people, Faunus or human, with ending those peoples' suffering."

"Blake's right," Ruby agreed with the raven-haired girl, "You're a really good person. Yeah… you, um… _killed_ people," She said the word quietly, "But if they were really suffering, it really was for the best."

Jace looked up at them all as Doctor Oobleck stepped next to them. "Jace, you and Genesis both did what you thought was right. Just like Ms. Xiao Long said, everyone has their own demon. None of us think of you any less, not one bit." Jace stood up slowly and put his jacket back on, then put _Standoff_ on his back.

He looked at everyone and wiped the tears from his eyes. "You guys don't know how glad I am to hear that… how much that means to me." He said before Ruby, Yang, Blake, and even Weiss, gave him a quick hug.

 _"These are good people, just like Ozpin said,"_ Jace smiled to himself, _"Like I had any doubts."_

They all broke from Jace and Oobleck patted him on the shoulder. "Keep pushing yourself forward. No matter what." He said with a nod.

"Alright, let's go get some food." Yang said after a moment.

As they walked out the door, Jace sighed in relief that the class was over and he could get some fresh air and something to eat. "If I didn't respect Oobleck or Ozpin so much, I would've launched myself over the desks at Cardin."

"The sad thing is, Oobleck would've had to stop you." Yang said.

"And that wouldn't do you any good if you pummeled a student before your first day here." Weiss added.

"Even if it was someone like him." Blake continued.

"We would've cheered you on though." Ruby said lastly.

Jace gave a smile as he wiped at his eyes again. "You guys are some of the best people I know… You know that?"

"I'll admit that is one of the first times I've ever heard myself be in that category for anyone." Weiss remarked.

"It's damn true about you all too."

"If you wouln't mind, I would like for you to explain to me what you did with your dust." Weiss requested.

"Me too, if you feel like it right now." Blake said as well.

Jace smiled and nodded. "Well, whenever you all left the other night after you walked me to the hospital, I looked up about each type of dust. I ended up coming across an article about how someone made a solid blade out of pure powdered dust with their aura. So I thought that it shouldn't be too different from when I launch an ice or stone shard from my hand. I practiced with it for a bit back at my house and on the airship back here and now I can make dust swords out of nothing," Jace finished as he demonstrated it again, this time making a smaller blade to hand both Blake and Weiss to study.

"And like I told Yang, I can make earth, burn, and ice dust swords so far."

"Wow, that's cool…" Ruby said with a look of wonder on her face, "It just looks like it comes from your hand."

Since Weiss knew almost everything there is to know on dust, she was very interested with a rare thing she didn't know. "This isn't something I've seen before. Do you mind if I ke-EEP" she let out a startled cry as the blade disintegrated in her hand.

"Umm, never mind then."

"Yeah, if I could, I'd let you keep it to look at it. But I can't hold them for too terribly long before they fall apart, at least not yet. What do you think, Blake?" Jace asked as he turned to the raven-haired girl.

"This is almost like my semblance, but you can just make these at will. It's very impressive."

"If I can get better with it, it'll replace my need to make my own sword." Jace said before they saw JNPR on the other side of the doors.

They met back up with team JNPR outside on the way to the cafeteria. They each told Jace that they understood what he said and wouldn't hold anything against him. He felt a heavy weight lift from his heart as he walked with his friends.

"You spoke with true conviction, Jace. It's very admirable that you are able to rebound from those things like you have." Pyrrha said and nodded to him.

"Sorry about Cardin. He's always an ass like that." Nora said.

"I already warned him about that," Jaune said with a frown and turned to Jace, "I just wish you didn't have to be the subject of it."

"I guess it can't be changed. Thanks for understanding, guys." Jace smiled to them all.

"Ooh! How about we tell Jace about the start of the semester to cheer him up some?" Nora said, eager to tell the tale of their great battle.

"What happened?" Jace asked, seeing the large grin spread across Nora's face.

"Maybe we should get something to eat first." Ruby suggested as they arrived at the building.

They went and got their food quickly, Jace had to convince the staff there that he was supposed to be there and that Ozpin allowed him to sit in on the classes. After he finally got his food, which consisted of just a small hamburger, fries, an apple, and water, he joined the two teams at the table they chose. They finished eating before anyone continued the conversation.

"So, what happened at the start of the semester?" Jace asked.

Yang started the story with a grin. "Well, it all started in here when someone hit me in the face with an apple because they couldn't handle a good pun. One thing led to another. Weiss got a pie in her face, Jaune got thrown into the window… I still don't know how that one happened, and then it was a showdown between team RWBY and team JNPR…"

They went into great detail about the food fight. Telling how they utilized turkeys, baguettes, leeks, soda, and watermelons in place of their weapons. It had ended with Ruby causing a whirlwind of food and drinks with her semblance, sending team JNPR into the far wall.

"That sounds like it would've been fun. Man, why couldn't've me and Gen come here instead of Atlas? We could've stood our ground." Jace said while smiling widely at the story.

Yang spoke after Jace was finished. "Yeah, Nora sent me through the ceiling, like _really_ high up, then Glynda came in and put everything back together. I crashed back through the roof and gave Ozpin a thumbs up. Good times."

"Oh, we have this picture from the dance too!" Ruby said as she brought out her scroll. She found the picture and held her scroll out to Jace. He looked at the picture for a moment, eyes scrolling past until they stopped suddenly.

"Is… Is Jaune wearing a dress?" He asked with a confused stare.

"Yeah, I told Pyrrha that if she didn't get a date to the dance, then I'd wear a dress. An Arc never goes back on his word." Jaune said and everyone laughed at the memory.

They stopped laughing after a few moments, now getting up to leave. "Well Jaune, you definitely looked stunning." Jace said, then everyone laughed even more.

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: Cardin is an ass. What kind of person would knowingly lie about their family dying?**

 **Sitting in on classes is something that any new transfer student should be able to do, to get the hang of the route to take and the people in the classes. It's the feeling I went by in this chapter. As long as the teachers and the Principal/Headmaster are okay with it, then it's alright.**

 **If Jace didn't lose his temper and tell what he had done, then he would've very well kept that to himself. That would've been bad for him, just to have that plaguing his mind of how his friends would think if they found out the truth. It would've ate at him. So maybe Cardin is a necessary asshole.**

 **Also, about the virtual reality simulations, that'll get explained more in the future.**

 **Next chapter is the sparring matches and introductions. See you then, and have a nice day!**


	19. Chapter 18: Grudges

**Grudges**

After lunch was over, the group of nine made their way to the amphitheater for the combat class, meeting Sun and Neptune along the way.

"Hey guys, how's it going?" Neptune greeted.

"Everything's alright. How've you two been?" Jaune asked in return.

"We're okay, just had to think over what Ruby told us about your new friend the other day. We kinda understand now," Sun said.

"Really?" Ruby asked him.

"Good enough," He answered, then turned to Jace. "Nice arm."

They talked a bit while walking to the amphitheater, with Jace going over with Sun and Neptune about what he had talked about, or yelled about, in Oobleck's class. He felt he could talk about it more freely now that the initial weight was taken from his chest. The two nodded their understanding, or little understanding, of Jace's situation and they walked on. Jace also showed everyone his new prosthetic, now without the stress of yelling at Cardin.

"The black and silver go marvelously together, Jace." Pyrrha said to him.

"Yeah, and with the way it's made, it'll grow with my semblance when I activate it." Jace said, then explained his semblance.

"Are you used to it yet?" Sun asked.

"Oum no," Jace chuckled and looked at his metal palm, "I'm avoiding fragile things with it. And other people."

"Makes sense," Neptune grinned, "It's probably not a good thing to break someone's bones from not being used to it."

They soon arrived at large sparring room and Jace went to speak with Professor Goodwitch while the others found seats. "Mr. St-," Glynda started, then corrected herself, "Reznor. Headmaster Ozpin told me you would be sparring with us today. Do you know who you would like to face?"

"At the moment, I don't know. I was gonna wait until everyone got here before I decided. There might be two students from Atlas I need to settle something with."

Glynda nodded. "Go ahead and walk to the sparring area and look through the students."

Jace walked to the center of the area and sat on the ground, looking through all the still-arriving students. He saw Cardin and his team arriving, with the leader immediately glaring daggers through Jace, and he glared back until the next ones came in. He saw Flynt Coal and Neon Katt, two people that he had seen a few times at Atlas. Flynt looked at him in slight confusion, then turned to his companion to say something. There were two other people, one had grey hair, a grey and black shirt, black pants and boots. The other had mint-green hair, dark skin, a top that had straps going around her neck and showed her stomach and shoulders, white shorts, and full brown leg guards. They looked at Jace with mild interest before they sat down.

The next two people that came in made Jace's eyes go wide in surprise, and theirs did as well from seeing him. Two members of team APCT from Atlas. Their leader, Tyr Alexander, and Ashe Crane. They wore their combat outfits in the event that they had the chance to spar. Tyr had bright olive eyes and short red hair, along with a bit of stubble along his jawline. His arms, shoulders, and legs were thick with muscle. He wore dark-leather leg guards over a pair of black pants, and a white long-sleeved shirt with a red dragon emblem along the breast of it. He wore a black gauntlet on his left hand with multiple studs around the top edge of it and on the knuckles. The inside of it was lined with metal plates for his style of fighting. On his prosthetic, he modified it to have the same design as his gauntlet with the studs. He wore a long cape of multiple dark-leather straps that extended down to his knees. In his right hand he held his dark-brown colored claymore by the blade near the crossguard. Specifically, his hand covered the chamber that a vial of dust could fit into, almost like Weiss' _Myrtenaster._ Jace had heard Tyr named it _Earthcutter._ It wasn't as long as Jace's sword, a foot shorter in fact.

Ashe had dark-hazel eyes and medium length, jade colored hair parted in the middle with both sides cascading down the sides of her face and head. She wore very thin black armor over a tight wetsuit-type of outfit. Along her left arm were multiple small, metal loops with a type of cord running through them to a spear launcher on the inside of her forearm, on the back of her left shoulder was a medium-sized bag that the cord led into. On the outside of her upper arm, a winch-type device was present that the cord fed through. She had two large pistols under either arm in holsters attached to a harness. From what Jace remembered, each magazine in the grips didn't have bullets, but they were rather magazines filled with powdered burn dust. On the sides of the pistols had other types of magazines that fed actual bullet tips into them and when she pulled the trigger, the burn dust ignited and sent the bullets blasting out of the barrels. One of them had a longer port on its side away from the magazine. Jace always wondered what that was for. Both had suppressors as well. Ashe had called the pair of them _Vulcan_.

Jace waved at them in greeting and they waved back slowly, then went to sit down. The next ones through the door turned Jace's surprise back into his original feeling of anxiousness. They were his old teammates. The boy with the green and black hair, Michael Slater, and the girl with light-blue and silver hair, Liza Flair. When they sat down, they finally noticed Jace staring a hole through them.

"Ms. Goodwitch, I know who I want to face now."

"Alright Mr. Reznor. Call on who you wish to fight."

Jace stood up and rolled his neck, then took a deep breath. "I'd like to challenge Michael Slater and Liza Flair." He said just loud enough for the two to hear.

They looked to each other in confusion and hesitated before they slowly rose from their seats, trying to figure out why this random person just challenged them both to a sparring match out of nowhere. They made their way toward the center of the room and looked at Jace in confusion, slowly but surely recognizing him.

"Are you sure you want to challenge two people?" Glynda asked.

"Yes ma'am, I'm sure," When the two finally walked onto the fighting area, Jace spoke to them.

"Before the fight starts, I want to clear something up with both of you. Do you remember me?" Jace asked, then saw understanding dawning in their eyes.

"Wait a minute… You!?" Michael yelled in anger, "You're supposed to be our teammate! And your misfit of a brother was wrongly made team leader! But then you both ran away!"

"You two caused us to fall behind in class! We're failing because of you!" Flair yelled also, drawing a low chuckle from Jace.

He took a few seconds to respond, smiling a bit at the fact that he was right that they'd blame him and Genesis. That smile quickly turned into a scowl. "First of all, don't you dare call him a misfit just because he was an orphan. Second, you're failing because of your own stupidity. You two never followed your 'leader's' orders and made us all fail training multiple times and almost got Genesis killed because you, Michael, wanted to show off. General Ironwood saw that me and Gen were carrying you both and when we were kidnapped, you both failed, and you can only blame yourselves. And last, I'm glad Gen isn't here to listen to your crap."

Jace took a deep breath and exhaled. "I'm ready to start."

The two were left speechless when the lights went out around them. Jace drew _Standoff_ and waited for them to make their move. He would've made himself a dustblade, but with his brother's aura in _Standoff_ , he wanted to let Genesis' soul be a part of this fight.

His two former teammates regained their senses and drew their weapons, Slater's being a scimitar capable of extending greatly into a bladed whip. And Flair's weapon being a pair of intricate claws engraved with different patterns to be held by her fists with the claws on each side and one on the top of her hands.

Jace let them make their move first. Slater immediately tried to whip at Jace from a distance. Jace blocked every strike and then sidestepped, letting the whip bite into the ground before he rushed forward at Flair. She evaded his attacks for a time before she faltered and he caught her, slashing at her with four strong slashes. Jace kicked the back of her leg to knock her over, then he turned back to Slater, who moved to try to attack Jace again. He went to work on him, bashing him with the pommel of _Standoff_ before he kicked Slater in the gut, causing him to bend over. Then Jace hit him with a powerful uppercut, sending him in the air and knocking him out of the light.

Jace turned his attention back to Flair just in time to sidestep a wild lunge. Off balance from the sloppy attack, she was left defenseless. Jace raised his leg and kicked her as she was falling, raising her back to her feet before he swung his sword in another uppercut, drawing a trench in the ground and hitting her into the air. He quickly followed her as he twisted his body and spun counter clockwise. When he arrived at Liza, he struck her in the torso, using the momentum of the single spin to send her down to the ground. She crashed into Michael and ended the fight as their auras dipped below the limit and Jace's stayed at ninety seven.

"The match is over! The winner is Jace Reznor!" Goodwitch announced over the cheering of some other students.

"You two didn't even get better at fighting." Jace said to them as he shook his head and started to walk toward the stairs that led up to the seats. The two didn't reply to him, they just slowly went back to their seats and held their heads down.

"Who would like to spar next?" Glynda asked, and she saw Cardin shoot his hand into the air.

"Alright Mr. Winchester, who would you like to be your opponent?"

"I want to fight him!" He said loudly and with a grin, pointing at Jace.

Jace smiled at the challenge and turned around back toward the fighting area, drawing _Standoff_ once more.

"He has just finished a sparring match. You'll have to pick another opponent." Glynda answered him.

"Winchester!" Tyr hollered across the room at Cardin, "Why don't you let him rest? Or do you always try to challenge someone you think would be weaker?"

"Why don't you mind out own business?" Cardin retorted and turned back to Jace, "What? His aura's still in the nineties from fighting those two pansies." Cardin grinned and turned to Jace.

"How about I challenge you then if you're so eager for a fight?" Tyr replied and gripped the hilt of his sword.

"It's alright Tyr," Jace cut him off and looked to his challenger, "I'll fight him if he really wants it."

"Yeah, it's what he wants, buddy. Now sit back down and watch a real fighter in action." Cardin gloated and stood up.

Tyr returned his grip to the blade of his sword and turned to Jace. "As you wish, Jace." He nodded and then turned to Glynda, "I apologize for my short outburst, Ms. Goodwitch." He said to her and took his seat next to Ashe after casting a glare toward Cardin.

"Damn. He's not even from here and he already told Cardin off," Yang remarked with a grin, "He's on my good side."

Glynda cleared her throat loudly and stared at her. Yang closed her mouth and sat a bit straighter in her seat.

After Cardin went to prepare himself, he sauntered to the fighting area with a wide grin on his face, resting his mace on his shoulder. "I'm gonna teach you some respect, freak."

"Call me a freak all you God damn want…" Jace muttered under his breath.

"Are you both ready?" Goodwitch asked. They both nodded and the lights went out, leaving the spotlight on them.

"Begin!"

They stood apart from each other, circling around for a few moments before colliding. Jace came at Cardin with slashes and chops. He went for a side strike but Cardin caught Jace's blade with his mace and tried to spin it out of his hand, but Jace quickly headbutted him and got away. Cardin swung his mace to the left and Jace let it slide across his blade. As Cardin went trough with his attack, Jace twisted swung his sword toward Cardin's head, smacking him hard with the side of the blade.

Cardin shook his head clear of blurriness and came at Jace with a wild overhead attack. Jace sidestepped out of the way and struck Cardin in the side, then Cardin quickly brought his weapon back around and hit Jace, knocking him back. He fell to a knee before Cardin came at him again, mace raised for a crushing strike. Jace charged forward, surprising Cardin and slicing out at his gut as he prepared to strike.

Jace came to a stop and stood ready, leaving Cardin dazed before he turned to face him. Jace sent three small fireballs with his right hand at Cardin, one struck him in the torso and he spun his mace around to block the rest. The red crystal in his mace glowed and he smashed it into the ground causing a wall of flame to erupt toward Jace. He jumped forward through the flames, letting his aura take the damage, and slashed at Cardin, sending out a wave of energy and knocking Cardin away, who landed on his feet.

 _"This is actually a good fight."_ Jace thought to himself in surprise. _"If only I was used to seeing how he fights, though…"_

Once again they circled each other, glancing at the boards that displayed the amount of aura they had left. Cardin had fifty-six percent from the hard hit to his head and the heavy slice to his torso while Jace sat at fifty-nine, due to jumping through the fire like he had.

They charged and met in the middle again, clashing over and over while causing sparks to fly out in every direction. The one to break through the other's defenses was Cardin, blocking Jace's sword and then smashing it from his hands. He went for a side swing, aiming at Jace's ribs. Jace jumped up quickly and planted his boots to Cardin's chest, sending his back into the ground. Jace jumped from his chest and high into the air, then fell back toward Cardin with another stomp aimed for his gut. Cardin rolled out of the way and Jace hit the ground with enough force to crack it. Cardin jumped up and caught him with a powerful swing, knocking him back several feet. He sent steam around Cardin, giving him enough time to summon a burn claymore with the few seconds he had.

Cardin swung his mace to make the steam dissipate. "I will not lose!"

Jace sent more aura into his blade and made flames flare from it. They came at each other again, each striking their weapons with every hit, causing even more sparks to fly around them. Small blobs of fire were sent from Jace's dust sword with each hit, landing on the ground and staying alight as the two fought on. Jace didn't know how long this blade would last, but it seemed to hold up well against Cardin's powerful strikes. The fire from Jace's blade seemed to intensify with every strike from Cardin, lighting up the area even through the natural lighting the skylights provided.

They each swung their weapons as hard as they could. The weapons met and a small, fiery shockwave scorched the ground around them. The impact also made Jace's dustblade break, but he immediately dropped its remnants and made a bolt dust blade just before Cardin could strike him.

Cardin tried for a powerful overhand strike but Jace blocked it at the last second, using his prosthetic to support against the strike. Cardin kept striking over and over, trying to tire Jace out, but only making himself more exhausted. With the last strike, Jace stepped to the side, letting the mace slide down the length of the claymore. Cardin fell out of balance as he stumbled through the wild strike and Jace hit him with a side cut. Cardin seemed shocked for a moment before he regrouped and almost seemed to growl at Jace, then he went forward with his attack once more. They each traded blows for another ten seconds before Jace finally saw an opening and bashed bashed upwards with his claymore, knocking Cardin's mace away, then bashed the pommel into his forehead to stun him.

Jace realized this was his moment to finish it and hit Cardin with a crescendo of six slashes when his weapon was lowered. With the last strike, he hit Cardin with an uppercut and sent him into the air. He held his blade ready and crouched, preparing himself to strike.

He jumped into the air after Cardin, who couldn't bring his mace up in time to block Jace's sword. Jace caught Cardin in the gut with a powerful slash, then they both fell to the ground. Jace on his feet, and Cardin on his back with his aura in the red.

"The match is over! The winner is, once again, Jace Reznor!" Glynda announced, making Jace take a knee from exhaustion.

Cardin still laid there, unsure of what just happened. Jace walked over to _Standoff_ and dematerialized the dustblade before he picked his weapon up. He placed his sword on his back, then walked over to Cardin.

"You can call me a freak and you can call me a murderer…" Jace said very lowly as he crouched next to Cardin. "But if you call me a liar about my family again… you'd better pray to Oum that a One-Winged Angel saves you."

Jace quickly rose back up and walked towards the stairs. After another moment, Cardin rose from the ground without a word. He stood for a few seconds before he went to his seat, sitting down in silence.

"Good fighting Jace." Ren said as Jace arrived at them.

"Thanks Ren," Jace said and glanced up to Tyr and Ashe, "I'm gonna go talk to Tyr. I'll catch up with you guys later." He said and walked up to where his old schoolmates sat.

"Hey Tyr, hey Ashe." Jace greeted the two and sat down next to them as Russell was put in a sparring match against Yang.

"Hello Jace. It's been a long while." Tyr replied and looked over to him.

"Yeah… it has." Jace agreed silently as Yang cracked her knuckles in the sparring area, making Russell audibly _gulp_.

"Your name was Storm before. What was the reason for the change?"

"For my dad. I wanted to use it in his honor."

"Ah, that is honorable. When you and your brother disappeared, I feared the worst. And now we know what happened to you," Tyr sighed and closed his eyes, "Does the fact that Genesis is not here mean… he's gone?" Jace nodded sadly at the question. "I'm sorry to hear that. You both seem like great warriors."

"He fought until the end. Just like a warrior."

"I know it's not my place to ask," Ashe started quietly as Yang quickly ended the match against Russell, catching him in a long combination of strikes, never giving him an oppurtunity to block. "We heard you say you were kidnapped, but what happened?"

"We were taken when we were trying to find stuff for me to make a sword of my own. We were experimented on and dust and Faunus DNA were fused or injected into us."

"Experiments?" Tyr asked in confusion and looked back to Jace, "How did you get out?"

"Me and Genesis escaped our cell together mostly because they didn't think of his semblance. We fought through everything and…" Jace took a deep breath and looked down, "We found the other experiments they kept. They were crystallizing or suffering from horrible reactions to their DNA being mixed with Grimm. We didn't want to let them suffer anymore."

They nodded their heads in understanding of what he meant, not wanting him to force it out. "No matter what some might think, that was a noble decision." Tyr said quietly as Weiss and Pyrrha went to prepare for a match.

"I think so, too." Ashe added.

"Thanks guys. We made it out and fought through Grimm and the people guarding the place when we met team RWBY and Doctor Oobleck. They saved us, then an Armaddon burned my right arm and left it scarred," Jace saw the confused looks on their faces and gave a small grin, "I met someone the other day that healed it for me. She's the nicest person I've ever met. Anyways, a few months of walking put us close to the coast and we were surrounded by their mercenaries. I lost everything there. My dad, Genesis, my left arm," He lifted his arm and rolled the sleeve up, revealing his prosthetic to them, "After a while, I ended up here. I'm switching to Beacon so I can be close to the ones that saved my life in case I get the chance to pay them back."

Pyrrha and Weiss stepped back into the room and the match started. "You have a prosthetic as well…" Tyr said sadly and brought his own up.

"That's what happened to you both?" Ashe asked and shook her head sadly, "A lot of students were confused from you both just _vanishing_ without a trace. Most of them shrugged it off quickly though. It's good that you're okay at least."

"I think I can take comfort knowing that they won't be doing that to anyone else. I made sure of it." Jace replied and watched as Weiss danced around Pyrrha with her glyphs.

* * *

"It was really good to actually be able to talk with you two." Jace said after the class ended and they walked from the building.

"You as well, Jace. With all of the work we all had to do, I regretted not being able to talk with warriors such as you and Genesis," Tyr gripped his sword and pulled out his scroll, "I would like to keep in touch."

"Yeah, that'd be nice." Jace brought his own scroll out and he traded numbers with them.

"I didn't know you could use a sword like that, using the blade as a handle to drive the hilt into something," Jace remarked as he looked down to Tyr's claymore, "It's interesting."

"Yes, the purpose is to disorient an opponent by switching between blunt and sharp. The blade is as sharp as it should be, I have the metal on the inside of my gauntlet to counteract that."

"That sounds like a good strategy. It definitely worked on Dove," Jace said and reached his right hand out, "I'm glad that I got to talk with you both."

Tyr took his hand and shook it firmly, but careful to not crush his hand with the prosthetic. "You as well. Until next time, Jace." He said and they separated.

Jace met back up with the others quickly and walked with them for a bit. "That was fun, I'm glad I got the chance to do this." Jace said, rolling his neck and popping it once more.

"Ugh, how can you stand that?" Weiss asked after her body shivered from the sound.

"Force of habit. I think it feels good." Jace replied, "I need to go talk with Ozpin. I'll see you guys later." He said, then turned to leave.

"See you later." They each said in their own way, then separated.

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: And with this chapter came the introductions of four side characters. Two good, two bad. And then there was the fights. I wanted to show a problem that an academy could potentially have in some of their students. The fact that some would just coast by on others' skills. Now that those two people aren't there anymore, Michael and Liza have their inadequacies out in the open. Their lack of passable combat skills being on the forefront.**

 **And then there's the good. Tyr and Ashe. Tyr is _very_ loosely based off of a certain someone. I don't want to give it away right now, that comes way later in the story. Ashe has a spear connected to a cord. I think it should be obvious what the intentions with that are.**

 **See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	20. Chapter 19: Plans and Preparations

**Plans and Preparations**

Jace walked to Ozpin's office in Beacon Tower. It took him a while to reach it going at his speed, he walked slower while he thought on what he said in Oobleck's class.

 _"I had to get it out sooner or later…"_ He kept telling himself in his head, _"I just… wish that it wasn't like that."_

He had lost his temper with Cardin, and almost lost complete control of himself. If Cardin didn't accuse him of lying about his own family, Jace could've kept himself in check. Cardin and his teammate had crossed a line. No matter what they did in the future, Jace would always remember what was said.

He also thought on the sparring matches, and smiled as he finally settled things with his old teammates, letting Genesis' last bit of aura and soul be a part in his victory. Jace also realized that Cardin seemed to bring out his most intense fight yet and he also smiled at that, he actually did well in fighting another Huntsman-in-training. Another great thing was that he finally got the chance to talk with Tyr and Ashe, even though he had to explain what happened to him once more.

He stopped thinking on those things when he arrived at the grand CCT tower. He stopped and just marveled at the look of it. Being from Atlas, it definitely wasn't the largest building he had ever seen. It was the completely different style that had him standing in wonder. Where in Atlas, the buildings were white and seemed to shine in the sun, Beacon tower was dark stone, leading up to two floors with large pane-glass windows, then the top of the towers with a few different, smaller spires jutting from it. After a few more moments, Jace shook himself and walked in. He turned left and went straight to the elevator, greeted by an automated voice a moment after he stepped in.

"Hello, please hold your scroll to the elevator panel." Jace did as it asked, and was greeted again.

"Hello - Jace Reznor - where would you like to go?"

 _"That was quick."_ Jace thought to himself before he answered, "The headmaster's office, please." He requested and the elevator started moving.

It took thirty seconds to arrive at Ozpin's office. When Jace walked in he immediately noticed all of the gears and cogs that circled overhead. Just one marvel after another for him. It was vastly different than any room he'd seen before. He took a moment to catch his breath before walking forward.

"Hello Mr. Reznor. Please, have a seat."

Jace sat down in the chair quickly. "Thank you for seeing me, sir."

"It isn't any trouble, I assure you," Ozpin said with a smile, then his face turned serious, "I know you wished to speak with me about another matter, but the first thing I'd like to talk about is what you said in Doctor Oobleck's class. About what happened in that facility."

That gained Jace's complete attention. "Oh… _that_ ," He groaned and looked down. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you or anyone. That was… that was just one thing I never wanted to have to talk about again because I hated that we had to do that… I was so ashamed of myself," Jace said before he looked back up, "I felt like a monster."

"No Mr. Reznor, the monster would be the man that did all those things to you, your brother, and all those people. Monsters don't give the suffering peace. Monsters don't fight for the weak. I've made countless mistakes over my lifetime and I've done many things that I regret. But if I were in your place, I wouldn't have regretted giving those people the peace they deserve. I don't hold it against you that you wanted to keep that a secret." Ozpin could tell the mood shift in Jace, seeing that a weight seemed to lift from him.

"Thank you for that, sir. I don't think I regret it as much anymore after talking with people about it."

"Now, what did you wish to speak with me about?" Ozpin asked after taking a sip from his coffee.

"I wanted to ask if I could do something this weekend in the cafeteria or ballroom." Jace said, getting a raised eyebrow from Ozpin.

"And what would that be?"

"I'd like to have a big dinner and have team RWBY, team JNPR, and Doctor Oobleck there. I want to really thank them for helping me and welcoming me here."

Ozpin gave a smile. "You want to have a small party? It may be good for them to have that before the tournament." He took another sip from his cup.

"I met all of the others that'll be taking the initiation too. Auron Karmine, Alyss Wystar," He said her name with a large smile, "And Raine Daturas. I'd like for them to be there too, to get to know Raine and Auron before we take the initiation."

"Hmm, and from what I've gathered, Ms. Wystar healed your arm. And she was the only one you told of those other poor souls. Is that right?" The headmaster asked.

"Yes sir, she is. She helped me deal with that better than what I could have by myself. I'm really glad I met her." Jace said and smiled warmly at the thought of her. They sat in silence for a few moments, listening to all the cogs turn above their heads.

"I'll allow it. But I'll need to ask you to keep it civil. I don't think Glynda can handle another food war"

"I can only imagine after what the others told me," Jace laughed as he remembered the description of the food fight, "Thank you. Can you let Doctor Oobleck know? I never got his scroll number." He asked and received a nod from Ozpin.

"I'll let him know soon. It will be next Sunday afternoon around six o'clock. You just let everyone else know. It will be in the cafeteria, then you, Alyssia, Auron, and Raine will be staying in the ballroom for the night because your initiation will be the Monday after, then you will be given a dorm room." He finished, getting an excited look from Jace.

"Next Monday…" Jace echoed with a smile, looking forward to the day.

Before he left, there was one subject still clouding his mind. "There's one more thing, if you don't mind…" Jace said with a deep breath.

"I take it that it is a serious matter?" Ozpin asked as he noticed Jace's sigh.

"Yeah, it is. Do you know the number to a place in Vale that makes headstones?" Jace finally asked.

The headmaster thought for a moment before he realized what Jace meant. "For your father and brother?" He asked with a solemn expression.

Jace's slow nod gave him enough of an answer. "Give me a moment, if you will…" Ozpin requested as he looked through his own scroll for the number. In his position, as both headmaster of Beacon and the head of the council of Vale, he would have to have that number on hand at any time. Because one moment could mean the end for anyone.

When Jace put the number in his own scroll, he nodded to Ozpin. "Thank you, sir. How long would it take for them to make both of them?" Jace asked before he left.

"It all depends on how you want them completed. That is all I know," Ozpin replied. "Would this be all, Mr. Reznor?"

"Yes sir. Take care."

Jace walked into the elevator and leaned against the wall as it went down. He looked at the number he acquired nervously. His thumb hovered over the number, contemplating whether or not to call now. He shook his head and put his scroll up. It was something to do later when he was alone. When the elevator arrived at the bottom floor, he stepped out and almost bumped into General Ironwood.

"Hello once again Jace. Is your arm still doing well?"

"Yes it is, sir. It also did well in a couple of sparring matches today. Thank you again for this."

"That's good to hear, and you're welcome. I won't keep you any longer. Until next time, Jace." Ironwood said, then stepped into the elevator.

"Until then, sir."

Jace walked out of the tower and was greeted by the setting sun. He continued on, walking toward the airdocks to head back down to the city. He stepped onto an airbus and went to sit down, bringing his scroll from his pocket along the way, along with his earphones he found at his house. He listened to the music he replaced and sent messages to Raine, Alyss, and Auron, telling them to be at the dining hall at six o'clock next Sunday evening, and that the headmaster wants them to bring their belongings. He received replies from them saying that they'll see him then.

He then sent messages to teams RWBY and JNPR, inviting them to the small party. _'Ozpin says it'd be nice for you guys to be there, to unwind for a bit in the middle of training for the tournament.'_ He said at the end of the message.

A few minutes later he received replies from the leaders of both teams saying that they'd be happy to be there. It didn't take long for the airbus to reach the bottom of the cliff and Jace stepped off to head back to the hospital, to spend his final week there before finally moving over to Beacon. It was a great feeling in Jace's heart to have a home again, people to call friends, and they may even be a new kind of family for him. Sure, he had the house to go back to outside Atlas, but there was hardly anyone there that was close to him, the one fact that he keeps driving into his head. The closest would've been Tyr and Ashe.

He also had the sweet, caring, and pretty ash-blonde cat Faunus that he was in love with, and he desperately wanted to be with her. Just too nervous to say anything to her. He started to think about what Yang had told him. _"If she didn't feel something… But what if she's just so friendly that she just does that?"_ He asked himself, then shook his head, _"Maybe… Maybe she does feel that way toward me, but… how the hell would I even ask?"_

At that thought, he sighed and put his music on shuffle. He was glad he remembered that all of the music from his old scroll was on a computer in his house. Jace smiled when one of his favorite songs started to play. It was a small smile at the opening lyrics, a near-perfect description for the life of a Hunter.

 _'It's time to strap our boots on. This is a perfect day to die, wipe the blood out of our eyes… In this life there's no surrender, there's nothing left for us to do… find the strength to see this through. We are the ones who will never be broken. With our final breath, we'll fight to the death. We are soldiers.'_

He shook himself from his thoughts and continued walking. On his way to the hospital, he caught a glimpse of Flynt Coal in front of him, leaning against a building with his scroll in his hand. On the other side was his teammate Neon, waiting patiently for Flynt to finish as she held a shopping bag in her hand. Jace walked by them after a minute and he could tell that they were watching him, racking their brains with the question of why he seemed familiar.

"Hey, you're Jace Reznor, right?" Flynt asked a second after Jace walked by.

"Yeah. Why do you ask?" Jace answered as he turned around.

Flynt got a closer look at his face. "It's just that you look real familiar… Wait, didn't you go to Atlas?"

"I did until a few months ago. Flynt Coal and Neon Katt, right? We never really met before." Jace said, then held out his hand in greeting, "I guess this is as good a time as any."

Flynt took his hand and shook it. "Yeah, I remember back at the team pairing now. You and your brother were teamed with those two slackers that you fought today. I felt real bad for you." He said and released Jace's hand.

"Hold up a minute… wasn't your last name Storm?" Neon asked after a moment.

"It was. But after… after Gen and dad died, I wanted to have dad's last name. I was an orphan." Jace answered her, which caused her to tilt her head down.

"Oh… damn. We didn't know. Sorry."

"Yeah, I heard from someone in the hall about some of what you said in Oobleck's class. Damn, that sounds like hell. I'm sorry about your bro and your dad." Flynt said, then Jace faintly smiled.

"You guys don't have to be sorry. I'm just glad I was able to make it here after all that," He looked down at his scroll and noticed the time.

"I should get going now, it's been a long day for me." Jace said as he looked back up.

"Alright, man, take it easy." Flynt replied and Neon waved as Jace turned to leave.

"I'm trying. Good luck in the tournament, you two." Jace called as he walked away.

He continued walking down the street, passing strangers, watching vehicles drive by, and wishing that he had taken _Titan_. Almost to the hospital now, he glanced off to the other side of the road and saw those two people, the gray-haired person and the shorter green-haired one. He thought nothing of it and kept walking on as they glanced over at him. Jace pulled out his scroll and looked for the notes he had made with details of pistol parts. He called the number of Century Arms and waited.

* * *

"He seems familiar now that I think about it." The green-haired girl said, turning her head back around to face where she was walking.

"You're probably just imagining it, Emerald. Think he'll be trouble?" The gray-haired one asked.

"He shouldn't be." She answered, then the thought struck her. "Wait, I heard some students talking about him. They said that he talked about where he came from, and that he'd been kidnapped up in Solitas by a scientist. Do you remember that job I took a few months ago? For that scientist, Grigori?"

"Yeah, why?"

"He was one of the two people that was taken. I gave them the illusion of being surrounded by Grimm while they were knocked out with gas. I wonder why he's here."

Her companion laughed and shook his head. "Who cares? You said he shouldn't be a problem, now stop your damn worrying." He said and drew a spiteful look from Emerald.

"Oh shut the hell up, Mercury."

* * *

Jace arrived at the hospital a few minutes after he finished his order, greeted by a familiar figure in a brown duster.

"Hey Jace, how ya been?" Auron asked as he leaned against the wall outside the door.

"Hey Auron, I've been good. How about you?" Jace asked and stopped next to him.

"Bored as hell, mostly. I was tryin' to figure out what's wrong with my truck an' I figured I'd take a cab an' stop by to say 'hey' after you sent that message. Damn lucky I got the right hospital." Auron replied as Jace shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, let's go inside and sit down. I've been on my feet almost all day."

They stepped into Jace's hospital room, then took a seat next to the window. "It's good you got your arm from Atlas. You have any trouble with it?" Auron asked, looking to Jace's covered arm.

"Only problems I've had out of it was trying to get a bandana wrapped around my arm. I did that to practice around and get the fine movements of it down, and it took a while. I ended up breaking a glass with it too. With fights, it's really muscle memory or alloy memory or metal memory, whatever you'd call it now. The sensors are _really_ good _._ It's supposed to be made out of their special alloy stuff, able to take a hell of a lot of punishment for years. I've already been in a couple of fights, too. First was back in Atlas when I took Alyss to show her a place in the forest." Jace said and saw the question form on Auron's lips.

"I met her a bit after I met you the other day. She healed my arm and I asked if she wanted to go with me to Atlas," Auron nodded and Jace continued, "Anyway, we fought some Grimm on the way to that spot. Then after we got back and I took her home, I ran into that one guy that tried to mug me. It was great." Jace finished with a smile on his face.

"That's good to hear, glad you're gettin' used to it. An' it sounds like a bad idea to go out in that cold, don't ya think?"

"With the spot we went to, you'd have to see it for yourself to understand why I wanted to go."

"Eh, maybe someday. I take it that we need to take our stuff to that party for a reason?" Auron asked with a wide smile on his face.

"Yep, we'll be staying in the ballroom that night, and we'll be having the initiation the Monday after." Jace said, matching Auron's smile, "I met the other one that'll be there too, her name's Raine Daturas. Me and my friend Yang helped her out against that guy. Oh, and both her and Alyss are Faunus." Jace said and waited for Auron's reaction.

"So you met everyone an' I just met you? Damn, you get around don't you?" The larger boy asked jokingly.

Jace laughed at that. "Apparently I do. So you're good with them being Faunus?"

"Yeah, I fought side-by-side with one before. I ain't got no problems as long as they ain't part of the Crimson Lance."

"They're not. Don't worry." Jace assured him with a grin. He tried to remember why that name seemed familiar, but he couldn't place it at all.

"So, when do you plan on tellin' me what all happened to you?" Auron asked.

"I'd like to wait until the party so everyone can hear. It saves me from having to say it a lot more. I guess we can all share our own stories then. I have a feeling that they're all interesting." Jace replied, then looked out the window, seeing a bird fly away.

Auron nodded. "Sounds good. I got a lot to get off my chest. Is it just gonna be us four there, or will there be more people?"

"Oh, there'll be two teams of people and a Professor too. I want to thank them all and I figured it'd be nice for you guys to meet them too," Jace said, adjusting himself in the chair from a position that grew uncomfortable, "Man, I've been standing almost all day and now I can't get comfortable in a chair." He grumbled.

"Hate it when that shit happens to me." Auron remarked.

When Jace got comfortable again, he continued what he was saying. "Anyways, you've already seen one of them, the girl in the red cloak when we met. Her name's Ruby."

"Huh, I'll look forward to meetin' 'em all." Auron replied while they watched a flock of birds fly past, following the first.

"What's your emblem look like, anyway? I never saw it when we met." Jace said, drawing Auron's attention from the window.

"It's my dad's old emblem, I started usin' it as my own to remember him by," The large boy said, taking off his duster as he stood up. "I got it tattooed on my arm before I came here," He raised the sleeve of his shirt to reveal his emblem on his bicep. It was a stake in the shape of a capital 'T' with a point at the bottom, going through two more pointed stakes in an 'X' formation.

"I'll never forget how he died… I'll tell you about that when we all meet up. What about your emblem? I never got to see it either."

"I guess I have three emblems, really," Jace said, grabbing the chains on his neck. "This Beowulf head pendant and my dad's cross, I combined them as my emblem on the upper-left part of my jacket," He said, then stood up, "On the back of my brother's old coat over there is my other one, his old emblem." He walked over to the coat and picked it up, turning the back to Auron so he could see. Auron nodded and Jace went to sit back down. He brought his left hand up to his spaulder, "And this is my dad's emblem. The same as his necklace. This was a gift from him,"

"I guess we have something in common… I won't forget how my dad and my brother died either. But, we'll learn about everything next Sunday."

After the talk of emblems, Auron's attention drifted to the corner of the room. "Part o' me is wantin' to ask why you're armed to the teeth with an _AGR_ in the corner along with that sword o' yours." Auron said as he glanced to the corner with a frown from seeing the large weapon.

"I found it in some building. I'll explain it at the party. You wanna see it?"

Auron quickly shook his head. "Oh nooo. Dust no. I've had about enough o' them for now. Last time I seen one, it was pointed toward me."

Jace stared at Auron for a moment before as his curiosity was drawn. "Next Sunday's gonna be interesting." He said and Auron quickly agreed.

"Yeah, it will."

"So, you said you were working on a truck. What's wrong with it?" Jace asked after a few moments.

Auron shook his head in annoyance. "I got no idea now. It lasted me long enough to get to Vale from about a hundred miles south o' Mistral an' it just crapped out on me after I got off the ship. I can't find out what's wrong with the damn thing." He replied, now lost in thought of his problem.

"You don't think it could be the fuses or sensors do you? That's what was wrong with my dad's truck a long time ago." Jace suggested, remembering the days of learning a colorful new vocabulary.

"I don't know, I'll have to check it tomorrow or sometime. I looked all over it, can't find anything new."

* * *

When food was brought to Jace, he requested for some to be brought for Auron as well. After they ate, the sun started to go down over the horizon. Auron started to stand. "Well, I'm gonna go ahead an' get outta your hair now. Thanks for havin' 'em bring me some food."

Jace looked up to him and nodded. "See you later then, Auron. And you're welcome."

"Yeah, I'm lookin' forward to next Sunday. New faces an' all that. See you then." Auron said, then left the room.

Jace leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes. He stayed there for an hour, his thoughts drifting back and forth. He didn't know what he'd do for the next week, it was Thursday now, and he had to wait until next Sunday for the party he had planned. It'd be a boring week for him and boredom usually made time seem like it would go painfully slow. Before he went to sleep, he gathered his thoughts and called the number he received from Ozpin.

After a few moments, he was greeted by a female voice. "Hello. This is Vale Burial Services. How may I help you?"

"I'd like to have two headstones made for Haile Reznor and Genesis Galloway." Jace said to her. He could hear her typing on a keyboard.

"Okay, do you know what size headstones you would like? And what to put on them?" She asked and Jace gave her the details.

"They should be finished within three weeks. We'll call you when they're finished and you can pick them up any time. And we're sorry for your loss, sir."

"Alright. Thank you, have a good night." Jace said and they ended the call.

He went to bed at midnight, not able to sleep for an hour, trying to think about what he could do for the entire week.

"Hmm, how long would it take?" He asked himself before he finally drifted off to sleep.

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: Please welcome Emerald and Mercury into the background. As I've said, this won't have much, if any, of anything to do with the main plot of RWBY.**

 **I don't have much to say about this chapter. I can say that Flynt and Neon probably won't make any more appearances in the future. I really wouldn't know how to write them. We've got the plans for a future chapter and something else as well. You'll have to wait and see.**

 **Also, the song is called _Soldiers_ by Otherwise.**

 **See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	21. Chapter 20: Outside

**Outside**

Jace awoke the next morning at six o'clock with a clear plan of what he wanted to do. He checked the CCT on his scroll to see how long it would take to reach the edge of Vale and saw that it would take a few hours in a vehicle to get there.

Jace got his things together, pretty much only _Standoff_ , _Atronach_ , his cards, and the clothes he changed into, and went out of his room. He went to the front desk of the hospital to find a receptionist.

"Hey, if anyone comes looking for me, tell them that I went out to train for a few days outside Vale and to call me if they need anything." He said to a man sitting at the desk.

"Alright, be careful and have a nice day, Mr. Reznor." He said and nodded to Jace.

"You too."

Jace left the hospital and went straight to the garages where _Titan_ was. It was a cold day out and he wore his brother's sleeveless duster over his jacket, trying to keep a bit more of the cold off of his body. He wasn't even cold, which was strange to him. He could see his breath in the air but he felt no chill. He wondered on the reason he didn't feel it, and then remembered something from the book on dust.

The burn dust in him kept him warm.

Jace realized he didn't even need his jackets if the dust in him kept the elements from bothering him. He shrugged the thoughts away and walked on. If the weather couldn't bother him anymore, then he wouldn't complain.

It was a longer walk it seemed like, even though he walked the same path the other day with Yang and Raine. He started to wonder about the latter. How did she just shimmer in and out of vision when she fought? Why did she have both a longbow and a sniper rifle?

As he thought about the cloaked girl, it seemed like she just appeared out of nowhere in the distance in front of him, the cloak in question billowing in the breeze. If it wasn't for that constant shimmering caused by the wind, Jace wouldn't have noticed her. _"Speak of the devil."_ He thought to himself and laughed before running to catch up to her.

"Hey Raine! What're you up to?" He called out, grabbing her attention.

"Jace? Hey! I was about to go a little ways outside Vale to train. What about you?" She asked as they walked toward each other.

"You know, I was going to do the same thing to help with the boredom." Jace replied with a grin.

Raine slipped her hood from her head and regarded him in curiosity. "Well, is there any other reason to train than boredom?"

"I guess the only other reason would be to get more used to my arm before next Monday. And to practice more. Do you have a ride out of the city?"

"No, I just planned to jump from car to car that was going the way I needed. I'm so light that people don't notice me. That's what I was waiting for, really. Why?"

"That seems… not safe." Jace said and cocked his head to the side.

"It's gotten me everywhere I needed to go so far and I've never had a misstep," She replied, now crossing her arms. "You have any better ideas?"

"I have a motorcycle, does that count?"

Raine tilted her head a bit in confusion. "Really? I guess you'll offer to go and train together?"

Jace laughed and nodded. "You read my mind. Do you want to?"

"Why not? We'll be fighting together anyways, so we might as well have each other's backs while training," She said and held her hands out to her sides with a grin. "Let's get to your motorcycle then."

* * *

They walked together for around an hour while talking about small things, like the sights and sounds of Vale, to pass the time.

"Oh yeah, I wanna ask, what's your emblem look like?" Jace asked, drawing the conversation away from the Kingdom.

"My emblem? It's on my pack here." She said while bringing her bag out that she had slung over her shoulder and under her cloak. It was as simple as two crossed and shattered arrows with chains connecting the feathered ends.

"That's pretty cool," Jace said while looking it over, "Mine has a Beowulf head with a cross held sideways in its mouth. The cross was my dad's. It's my other emblem." He unzipped his duster and then the jacket, showing the emblem on his new outfit.

"Hmm, nice outfit," Raine commented and looked back to the duster, "What about the other one?"

"That… would be my brother's. It's his old coat." Jace answered and left it at that for now.

They walked on until they finally reached the garages. Jace led Raine to one of the larger garages in the area, unlocking the door as they arrived.

"Alright, that one over there is Yang's bike, and this," Jace said while placing his hand on his motorcycle's right compartment, "Is _Titan_ , my motorcycle that I got from my house at Atlas." He used his aura and opened the compartment on its right side, mindful that it didn't graze _Bumblebee._ He knew it shouldn't even come close to _Bumblebee_ , but he wanted to be safe _._ If something scratched her motorcycle _,_ Yang would probably throw him from the edge of Beacon.

Or worse.

"Huh, that's neat." Raine said as she watched Jace placed his sword in the case.

"Yeah, when my brother started building it, I honestly didn't think he'd be able to do it. But he did a damn good job." Jace said as he closed his sword in. He rolled _Titan_ out of the garage, then Raine shut the door for him. Jace stepped away and locked the garage back up, then retrieved the two helmets from its back storage box, on the right side next to the back wheel.

He handed the purple one to Raine. "Why do you have a Faunus-special helmet?" She asked in confusion.

"I bought it for my friend when we were in Atlas a few days ago." Jace answered and Raine didn't question it further, and strapped the helmet on.

"Have you ever ridden a motorcycle?" Jace asked as they strapped Raine's bow to the side of _Titan_.

"A few times before. Why?"

"I just want to warn you about the noise, and the uh… vibrations." Jace said and saw her tilt her head, then her eyes widened a bit in understanding.

"Oh yeah. _That_. I'm pretty sure I might've gotten used to it. The noise too."

"Good. It was really weird for me when it happened to my friend because she's never ridden a motorcycle before then."

"I can understand that." Raine laughed and checked the straps holding her bow.

"I forgot to mention that I like your sword and rifle thing there." Jace said and nodded to the rifle.

"It's got a trick up its sleeve and so do I. You'll see when we get to the forest."

They hopped on _Titan_ and Jace drove from the parking lot.

* * *

After stopping at a store to buy supplies to last a few days, mostly food and water, they continued on through the city. Jace went as fast as the speed limit allowed, avoiding sections with heavy traffic until they hit the highway thirty minutes later.

"So, are you glad you didn't have to hop cars?" Jace asked.

"Yeah. Now I don't have to worry about tripping up." Raine replied with a grin. Her cloak billowed in the wind almost like a flag, seeming to shift and change colors with every passing car and truck.

"Hey. You said that you got this from Atlas and that your brother built it. How long did it take?" Raine asked closer to his ear, watching the lights flashing by.

"When he got it, I was around eleven at the time. He was thirteen I think. He didn't stop for anything trying to get it back to the house. He almost starved himself because he wanted to skip eating to bring it back sooner. It took him three years to build it back up and add onto it. He… he didn't get to drive it around much before he died." Jace told her, then felt her grip his waist a bit more tightly.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Jace." She said as she loosened her hold.

"It's alright, I'll tell you more next Sunday. For now let's just get out of the city." As he finished his words he bolted full speed down the highway, toward the city's exit.

* * *

It took two hours of nonstop driving until they reached their destination. Jace went slower in the forest, weaving through trees before they came to the campsite Raine directed him to. It had a small fireplace, three long logs surrounding it, and a small cabin that had a stack of firewood next to it under a small roof. They dismounted _Titan_ , took off their helmets and walked around, stretching their muscles from the long ride.

"I guess Atlas is the reason you have snow chains on the tires." Raine remarked.

"Yeah, definitely. How long has this been here?" Jace asked before sitting on a log.

"A long time. The people my dad works with made it. There's one or two on the outside of every Kingdom's capital. Maybe one or two in or outside of alot of the villages around the world too. I came out here every couple of weeks to train my marksmanship with my longbow and rifle." Raine explained as she took her bow from _Titan_ and put it on her back, then started placing small logs in the fireplace.

"So that's what your weapons are? A bow and a rifle? Care to give me a demonstration?" Jace asked with a grin.

She quickly nodded and took her bow off her back. It had two limbs to it, one shorter one, like a shortbow, to act as a gripping point, and a longer one, twice as long, to put more force behind her arrows. It had a dark green design going along the length of it, almost looking like vines of a plant.

"So you don't use dust arrows?" Jace asked, noticing the metal-like cord on the bow.

"No, I use actual arrows, each of them are really just plain arrows. All of them have razor sharp broadhead tips. They're bound to my aura too and can come back when I focus it." She demonstrated it, firing off two arrows within a second, both slamming into a tree a large distance away.

"That was… really fast." Jace commented in awe as Raine made the arrows return to her.

"That's how I was trained. Fast and accurate." She replied with a grin as she placed the arrows back into her quiver.

"And how do you pull them back to you?" Jace asked, "I've never heard of or seen anything like that."

Raine shrugged. "It's something that my family has been doing for a long time. Started with my great-great grandfather, then went down the line from there." Raine answered.

She collapsed her bow to a smaller form and placed it on her back, then picked up her rifle. "Now this is what I love the most, I think." She said and took out the large magazine from the bottom. She handed it to Jace and he looked it over, then he turned to the rifle.

Now that Jace was paying more attention without having to fight, he could see more of the rifle. It had a pistol-grip and a small sheath for her knife on the right side, opposite of where empty shells flew out. It didn't have a scope, which confused Jace but he figured there was a reason. The magazine took very large rounds, like _Crescent Rose_ , and looked like it held ten. The barrel had multiple ports on the sides, sticking through the black, outer barrel to help with recoil. The inner barrel looked like it was made of pure bolt dust, as yellow as it was. The stock, which was also the hilt for her sword, wasn't a solid piece and looked like three connected bars, and one looked like it had some type of rope wrapped around it.

Raine grabbed the wrapped bar of the stock and the other two straightened out and collapsed into the hilt. She took the blade out and Jace could see it more clearly. It was a type of katana, the blade wasn't as curved as a normal one though. Nearly straight with a minor curve to it, but it was made the exact same way as a traditional one. The crossguard was rectangular in design and there was a pendant of a blue and black cat on a chain hanging from it. A strange pendant for a fox Faunus, Jace thought.

"So, what's its name?" Jace asked, looking over the rifle with a grin.

"I call the rifle _Shagahod_ , I made her last year at our house in the forest on the southwestern edge of Vale. The bow was a gift from my sister, I called it _Amaranth_. It took a bit of time to get skilled with them, but that's part of why I'm here now." Raine said and inserted her magazine back into _Shagahod_.

"I can go between using them both without any trouble. Here, take these and watch." She handed Jace a pair of binoculars from her bag and climbed to the top of a tree.

Jace followed slowly and sat on a branch opposite of her, close to the base of the tree to hopefully keep from breaking his seat. "Alright, what am I watching?" He asked as he looked through the binoculars.

"Look straight ahead and in the sky. To the right. You see that Nevermore?" She asked as she raised her rifle up.

"Yeah, I do," Jace said and started hearing the crackling of electricity.

"How do-" he didn't get the last words out of his mouth before the loud report of _Shagahod_ went off beside him.

Jace saw the round's golden trail, sparking with small bolts of lightning, and noticed the Nevermore jerk in response to its head being shot apart.

"Holy hell…" Jace said in awe, "How could you see it clearly without a scope?" He watched the Grimm fall and evaporate.

"That would be one of my tricks. My semblance. It's really useful, it makes my eyes able to magnify to long distances when I put my aura to them. That's why I don't use a scope like most people," She said and put her rifle on her back, then gave Jace a grin, "The other trick is that I made the inner barrel with a lot of bolt dust. I put my aura into _Shagahod_ and it charges the barrel. Then when I fire a shot, the lightning catches it and makes the round shoot really far and hard. That's why these ports are here, because… well… the recoil's a bitch," Raine laughed and Jace chuckled with her, "But, that's something to use as a long-range attack. I can't focus on putting my aura to it and fight at the same time, but it makes for a hell of a sniper." She finished and climbed back down the tree.

Jace watched the last of the Nevermore disappear before he followed after Raine. When he got to the bottom of the tree he noticed Raine removing her cloak and setting it on _Titan_ , turning black as it was draped across the seat.

"That's pretty awesome. Hell, you're probably a lot better at night aren't you?" Jace asked with a wide grin, "And what about the cloak? I noticed it's color changed to black."

Raine grinned and picked it back up. "It was specially made by the people my dad works with and who I'm gonna work with after I graduate. It's made with specially worked dust and other things, I don't know everything that goes into them though. It changes color with my surroundings, making it very difficult to spot." She explained, then noticed Jace's head tilt in confusion.

"So, what people does he work with to get one of those cloaks?" Jace asked as he sat down on a log. Raine moved the cloak around and changed its colors, confusing Jace even more. She laughed and set it back across _Titan's_ seat.

Raine sat on a log across from Jace and gave another grin as she leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. "He's from the Ranger Corp. An organization of Huntsmen and Huntresses that take a more silent approach to the Kingdoms' troubles. I wouldn't be surprised if you haven't heard of us. They mostly wear cloaks like mine and usually have silent weapons, like bows, silenced rifles, things like that," She smiled when she noticed Jace's, even more, confused expression.

"There isn't a lot of Rangers out there, only a few in each Kingdom. The best of us are so silent that they can ghost past Grimm infested areas and pick them off before they know what hit them. I'm an apprentice now, to my dad, and when I graduate Beacon I'll be a full fledged Ranger after a ceremony at the Gathering."

"And what's a Gathering?" Jace asked.

"It's an annual event for us. We just get together every year and enjoy a bit of peace in our careers. It's when the full fledged Rangers get new assignments and they might be told to switch the Kingdoms they stay in. It's always in a secret location that I'm not telling you. No offense." Raine added the last part with a laugh.

"Oh, none taken. So, I probably met a few back in Atlas and didn't know it," Jace crossed his arms and thought about it more, "That's really weird."

"I don't know. Unless they wore their cloaks, then you might have," She shrugged her shoulders and brought her sword from her rifle, then ran her fingers along the pendant. "I'm glad that the Faunus can be in the Rangers, there's no discrimination against us and we're welcomed with open arms," She let go of the pendant and leveled a curious gaze at Jace, "What's your full stance on the Faunus, anyway? I mean, I know what you said the other day, but is there more to it than that?" She asked, catching Jace by surprise with the question.

"Well, like I said before, I've never had any problems with them and the ones I've met are as friendly as can be," He sighed and shook his head, "Why can't we just look at what's the same between us? I mean… we breathe the same air, we look at the same sky, we walk on the same ground, we enjoy the same sunsets… we can walk past each other on a damn daily basis… we have so much that's the same. People just don't try to look at that the same way and it makes it so much worse…"

"I know that the Faunus are mostly good people, you guys just have a bad reputation because of the damned White Fang." Raine could sense in his tone that Jace words were genuine.

Jace gave a happy sigh and continued. "The friendliest one I've ever met is the one that healed my arm the other day. And she'll be taking the initiation with us too. Her name's Alyss." He said her name with a wide smile.

"She healed your arm? How?"

"My right arm was burned really bad from a fight a while back. I met her while I was shopping for clothes and she offered to heal my arm with her semblance. I'm always gonna be grateful for that." Jace replied while keeping his smile.

"She seems like an awesome person. I can't wait to meet her, then. And you seem to be smiling a lot from thinking about her." Raine said with a grin.

"Yeah, I guess I do." Jace answered and looked down when he felt heat rise in his cheeks.

"What type of Faunus is she?" Raine asked.

"She's a cat Faunus. She has one black cat ear and one blonde. It's really cool." He answered and thought to himself. _"They're actually really cute."_ He said in his head and felt himself blush hard.

"You didn't happen to bring coffee with you did you?" He asked when he looked back to her, "I forgot to buy some earlier."

Raine nodded and walked to her bag, producing a decent sized pouch of coffee. "Thank Oum, I'll need it. Did you bring any honey?" She nodded again and brought out a jar of honey, wrapped in a thick cloth.

"Oh Oum, thank you. Pass the coffee here, I'll make some up." Jace said, and Raine handed him the coffee.

"Why do you want the honey?" Raine asked and raised an eyebrow.

Jace finished pouring water in a pot and set it close to the fire before speaking. "I usually put some honey in my coffee to give it a sweeter taste. Have you ever tried it?"

"Actually, yeah I have. It's something that one of the Rangers at our Gathering showed me a couple years ago. My sister, Emowyn. She was assigned to Atlas back then," She said and smiled, "That makes me want to ask, what made you start putting honey in your coffee?"

Jace shrugged at the question. "My dad. He said he got it from someone he worked with on a mission a few years ago. That could've been Emowyn he was with." He started putting some of the ground coffee into the boiling water.

"It could've been. What's his name?"

Jace stirred the pot and set it away from the fire as he felt his sadness build in him. "His name was Haile Reznor, he retired last year from being a Huntsman. His name sound familiar?"

She nodded. "I remember Emowyn telling me that he had her back against three alpha Beowulves and ten regular ones when they went on an S&D mission. I think it was a big group of Beowulves that tried to form up and expand in the cold. She said that he brought his shotgun up and put four of them down before they attacked. Then he cleaved a few of their heads off with his axe before she could do anything." She said with a smile, and noticed Jace smiling also.

"That sounds like something he would do. Just go in head first to help out in any way. Always wanted to get the first hit in." Jace said, then his smile disappeared. "Anyways, I have to ask now, what would happen to the Rangers if the Kingdoms ever went to war with each other again?"

Raine sighed at the question. "Our leader would call a special Gathering, discuss what events were taking place, and then we'd essentially disappear. Since the Rangers are independent from the Kingdoms, we don't want to fight against each other if the time came. So we would separate, keep in contact with each other, disappear to our own devices, and wait for the day that the war would end and band back together," Raine explained and sighed again, "We'd definitely be behind everything to try and smooth it out, but I just hope that day never comes again."

"Yeah… me too."

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: And now the Rangers are introduced to the story. They're based on a book series I read and loved. _The Ranger's Apprentice_. I greatly recommend it.**

 **As for everything else, we just have a chapter of being outside the city while training and talking between the two. Plus a few more things'll happen too, so there's that.**

 **See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	22. Chapter 21: Who Needs A Time Chamber?

**Who Needs A Time Chamber?**

They drank the coffee and set out to find Grimm to fight. It didn't take too terribly long to find some, regular Ursai and Beowulves mostly, with random Boarbatusks showing up at times.

Raine practiced with her longbow, sometimes switching to her sword to practice with close combat. Her arrows were placed in small gaps in a Grimm's bone armor before she put one accurately into their eyes to finish them. When they got close to her, she drew her blade and sliced quickly into their claws. She alternated between the two techniques rather easily.

Jace, meanwhile, was trying to make his dustblades last longer and be stronger as well. Each time it would be even more sturdy than the last. He tried different ones as well. Each made with light-blue ice dust, red burn dust, brown earth dust, and yellow bolt dust.

The last thing they fought that day was an Ursa Major that crashed through the trees at them. Jace dodged its swipes and while it missed him, Raine stepped in and loosed an arrow at its head. The impact of the broadhead arrow hitting the bone armor and sticking there caused it to roar in annoyance.

It swung at Raine but she jumped over its huge paw and kicked at it head. It swung again and Jace stepped up to block the strike with his ice claymore. He sent aura through the blade and the decreased temperature caused its paw to freeze solid. Jace sliced at its head and cut through its bone mask, drawing a red line in its face. As it turned away and roared in pain, Jace and Raine noticed their opening to end it.

Before it could retaliate, Jace sliced at it from behind and sent the Ursa into the air with all his strength, causing a small pillar of ice as he sent the Grimm flying upward, higher than he expected.

Jace thought quickly on something to do, then had an idea. "Raine! Springboard!" He said as he held the flat of his blade out.

Raine nodded her understanding and smiled, put her bow on her back, then jumped onto the sword. Jace used his strength to send her upwards toward the Grimm.

Raine unsheathed her sword when she was flying toward it and planted the blade firmly in its chest when she met it, striking its heart and killing it as it gave one final roar. Jace grinned as the Grimm came crashing down, with Raine landing on top of it to break her fall.

"I think we already have a team move. What do you think?" Jace asked as they stepped toward each other.

"I think that it can be very useful in the future. I like it. Let's head back."

* * *

"So is that your semblance that makes you be able to make swords like that?" Raine asked as they arrived back at the camp.

"No, it's not. It's just something I practiced with… with the dust inside me…" Raine looked at him with her eyes wide. She went to say something but Jace held his hands up to stop her.

"I know what people say about that, but please… I can tell you about it at the party. It's a long, painful story."

Raine exhaled and nodded. "Okay, I won't dwell on it. You'll tell me when you're ready."

"Thank you."

"What exactly is it you do? How can you make them?"

"I can just use my aura and hold my hands out. I focus the dust and aura to my hands and I can just materialize a blade. It took a lot of practice. I dont know if it could be considered a second semblance or not. My actual semblance," Jace said as he activated his semblance quickly, growing larger and turning towards Raine, "Is this. I discovered it a few months ago."

"Well you just got a bit more taller than me," Raine laughed, "Does it do well with your prosthetic?" She asked as he deactivated his semblance.

"That's the first time I've even activated it since a while ago. I'm glad that it didn't do anything bad to it," Jace answered and moved it around, noticing it was less fluid in its movements. "Does feel a bit tight, though."

"I guess I can say that the dust keeps me warm too. I really don't need my jacket at all." Jace said after a few moments.

"Then why do you wear it?"

"Because I thought I'd need it this morning. I wasn't gonna go back to the hospital just to leave it there."

"Makes sense, I guess."

It was almost nightfall when they settled down and rested. The rest of the day was mostly spent preparing the camp to stay for a week before they traveled back into the city next Saturday.

"That was a good training session, I think." Raine said while checking her arrows for any damage. The only one that was really damaged was the one that she shot into the Ursa Major's faceplate. The tip of it was flattened out and she worked with sharpening it back with a whetstone she had.

"Yeah, it was. If anything, this'll get us ready to be fighting Grimm for the initiation," Jace replied. He retrieved three logs and started a fire to warm Raine up and sat down. The sun was going down, causing the trees to cast long shadows, it was a beautiful sight to see the orange light of the sunset come through the trees.

"I'm really glad I decided to come out here," Jace said before he took a drink of water, "I think if I stayed in that hospital room any longer, I would've went crazy from the silence." He finished with a laugh as he brought out the manual to his prosthetic and a screwdriver. He took his coat off and laid it to the side, then looked through the small manual. Some parts of it told him how to attach any type of enhancements or replacements to it, such as a small heating coil for personal heat or just replacement fingers. After a few moments of reading, he found the part he needed for tweaking its fluidity. There was a diagram of his prosthetic and multiple key points were highlighted. Multiple small panels to open. One on the shoulder, one on the side of the elbow, one on the wrist, one for each finger, and one for each joint on the fingers. He sighed to himself and went to work.

"You know," Raine started, grabbing Jace's attention, "I wonder if any of the other Rangers are here in the city right now. I haven't seen anyone yet."

"Do you know who's supposed to be assigned here?" Jace asked as he worked on loosening an actuator in his prosthetic's shoulder. An actuator, Jace learned, was also used in prosthetics to give a person their desired movement in their prosthetic's joints. Jace needed his loosened to match the movement of his right arm again. _"Might've been my semblance that caused it,"_ Jace thought to himself, _"I'll need to call Seabolte sometime."_

Raine thought for a few seconds before she brought out her scroll. "Well, there's Vivian Strife and Will Altman. I haven't seen any of them around yet. There's a few I haven't met yet too, because only one Ranger was at the Gathering from Vale this year and last year was hectic for me because of my initiation. One of them could be watching us right now." She said with a grin, causing Jace to unconsciously look around him.

"That's… actually a scary thought. Wouldn't they want to come up and say hi or something?" He asked, turning back to his task.

She laughed and shook her head. "No. It's kind of a game that the Rangers play. They like to see how long it takes for us to spot each other when we arrive in a Kingdom, if nothing too serious is happening. Speaking of that, hello Will!" She called out, causing Jace to jump a bit.

"Will?"

"I was wondering how long it would take, Raine!" The arrival called back excitedly, causing Jace to jump even more and drop his screwdriver.

"Wait, what?" He stared around in confusion at the two.

"You shouldn't have risked getting closer or I wouldn't have seen you," Raine said and laughed, "Jace, this is Will, one of the best Rangers we have. And Will, this is Jace Reznor. My future teammate." Raine introduced the two.

Will was a thiner man, about as tall as Jace at six feet and two inches in height. He wore the same type of cloak as Raine, and had a shortbow on his back with no string. He wore dark-brown pants and a lighter brown shirt. When he took off his hood, Jace could see he had short blonde hair that looked like it was cut by a knife. The last things were that he had brown eyes and a scruffy beard.

"Jace Reznor, I've seen a lot about you." Will said while crossing his arms.

"What? How?" Jace asked, looking even more confused than ever.

"It's part of a Ranger's job to know things. You fought pretty well in your sparring matches yesterday." Will replied with a grin.

Jace just bowed and shook his head. "I'm not even gonna ask. Anyway, how long have you been watching us?" He asked as he picked the screwdriver back up and continued with his prosthetic.

"Ever since I heard that shot ringing through the forest and saw that Nevermore go down. You really should get a silencer for that, Raine." The Ranger replied to the girl.

Raine shook her head and smiled. "I know. I asked Erron to make me one a few months ago. I had to send him the plans for _Shagahod_ so he could make it just right. I should get it soon," She said then nodded toward the coffee pot, "Want some?"

* * *

The Ranger and the apprentice caught up with each other on what's been happening in Vale. They talked for two hours before Will left, thanking them for the coffee and disappearing into the night. Jace had finished working with his prosthetic when he was satisfied with it and set the panels back in place. He moved his arm around, making sure it was alright for him, and set his screwdriver and manual away.

"You Rangers are a tight-knit group, aren't you?" Jace asked, then finished the last of his water.

"Yeah, you could say that. We're like a different type of family." She replied before drinking the last bit of her water as well.

Jace craned his head up and looked to the sky. That night, the moon was a crimson color. It was pulling itself back together for its next phase as well. The broken pieces circled around it and moved just right to make it seem like a full moon again, and it gave off a brighter than normal glow.

"You'd think that a blood-moon would be a bad omen or something. It's amazing to see." Jace said as he stared at it.

Raine looked upward and grinned. "You'd think it _would_ mean something bad. But damn it's pretty." She agreed.

"Maybe we should go ahead and get some sleep. You think we should set up a watch schedule?" Jace asked a bit nervously while looking back down.

Raine thought it over for a moment. "No, we'll be alright since we're so close to the city. Plus, I'll hear any heavy footsteps outside if Grimm attack," Raine assured him, "We can get up around nine and start training again around noon tomorrow. Sound good?" She asked.

"Y-yeah, sounds good," Jace agreed before he stood up and stretched, "Damn, logs are uncomfortable."

They went in the small shack that was built by the Rangers, keeping the wind off of them as they rested for the night. Jace was nervous about it and couldn't fall asleep right away, remembering the last time he was careless with preparing a camp. He wanted to just go outside and keep watch himself, wanting to never let himself be careless again. He started to think of what could happen if those people had followed him and came back for him.

 _"I don't want to lose this place as my home… I don't want Raine to get hurt because they would be after me… Gods, I don't wanna lose Alyss,"_ Jace shook his head and sighed quietly, " _No… No, that can't happen. It won't, it can't, I know it fucking can't. Not anymore. Just… calm down, Jace. If something shows up, we'll hear it with our hearing,"_ Jace sighed again, _"Raine doesn't even know about what happened to me… I'll tell her when I tell Auron. Just… I just need to calm down."_

When he finally fell asleep after his worries faded away, Jace had the most pleasant dream that he's had since he was with Alyss. The two were just laying on a couch together, relaxing and enjoying each others' company.

When they woke the next morning, Raine saw his smile. "Why do you look so happy?"

"I had a great dream last night." Jace answered and just wished he could go back to sleep, back to that dream.

"Well, what was it about?"

"It's… nothing special really." Jace replied quickly and walked out the door.

Raine looked at him and shook her head with a shrug, then followed him out of the cabin.

* * *

The next week was spent training even more, almost nonstop fighting for the whole time not counting small breaks for water and food. They encountered the same things they fought the first day, with even a couple of Alpha Beowulves throwing themselves at them. The next Friday, they spent half the day training more, then spent the rest of the day resting their muscles before they went back into the city the next day.

"I think I'm getting a lot better with my dustblades now." Jace said when they reached the camp. His swords started to stay permanently as long as he never let go of them, only lasting a few seconds when not in his grasp. They were also as strong as any blade made by some other material.

It was five in the evening when they decided to end the training. The weather changed from cold to warm almost every day for the past week, leaving Jace confused. "I don't think the weather knows what it's doing this year." He said and shook his head.

Raine took a long drink from her water before she replied. "The weather _has_ been acting weird lately. Maybe something's about to happen."

"Maybe, who knows. Still better than Solitas," Jace grinned, "It's been a good week. I'm glad I ran into you before we left."

"Yeah, me too. It's nice to have some company while training."

"I always liked getting out like this instead of having to use Atlas' virtual reality stuff." Jace said, drawing a confused look from Raine.

"Virtual reality?"

"Yeah, like simulations. They have these pods or whatever that you get in and you put this helmet thing on your head. Then when it turns on, your motor functions get taken away and it puts your mind on any simulation. It feels like you're actually there. They take your weapons and make models of them to put in so you can use them, and they put in others you could try if you wanted. It was all made to have minimal risk of injuries from actual training and stuff."

"That sounds pretty cool. Why do you like being out more?"

"It's just that it's _real._ In the simulations, there's really no risk in it other than these big words in your vision saying 'Mission Failed.' In real life, you train your body and you stay on your toes. If you mess up, you _know_ it. I saw a lot of people get cocky after they passed training simulations one after the other, five-star, gold rank, whatever, and then they go out on an actual mission, they come back a few days later and get put in the infirmary. You forget about the risks when it's not real, and when it _is_ real, it can bite you in the ass. You get overconfident, and overconfidence can destroy you." Jace finished and shook his head.

"Wow… I've heard about them before and always thought they were cool. But I never thought about it like that," Raine said as she thought about it, "I guess you really hate the simulations then, don't you?"

"Oh no. Don't get me wrong. I'd rather be out training for real, but the sim-pods are damn awesome. I can't tell you how many times me and my brother got free time and went into a horde mode simulation, just seeing how long we could last. We got pretty damn far by staying back to back."

"Huh, horde mode? I wonder if anyone's beaten one of those." Raine said.

"Three people, actually. A long time ago, before I was born and when the pods were first made. Their names were Dean, Roman, and Seth. I can't remember their last names but they were the only three-person team ever. We always tried to beat that with just the two of us."

"Sounds hard to do. I think I remember something being said about them before, but I can't remember," Raine said, then tilted her head, "Did you used to go to Atlas or something?"

Jace nodded. "A few months ago. I got transferred here because my other two teammates were a couple of assholes." He lied, but it wasn't completely false. He hoped she wouldn't hold it against him when he tells her the truth of it.

"That's always a bad thing to get paired with people that don't know when to shut up." Raine remarked.

Jace opened his mouth to say something, but hesitated. "Can I… ask you something?"

"What is it?" She asked and saw him look at the ground nervously.

"It might be weird to ask, but…" He let the silence hang in the air for a few moments while he figured out how to ask, "If you were in love with someone and didn't know what they felt about you… what would you do?" Jace asked after a moment of hesitation.

Raine stumbled with her thoughts at the completely unexpected question. From talking about training simulations to talking abut love, Raine didn't know how to react. "I-umm… I don't know. I guess I would just come out and tell them," She suggested quietly and bit her bottom lip, not completely honest with her answer, "I haven't had that problem before… Who is it that you're in love with?" She asked him and saw him hesitate more.

"Alyss."

"How long have you known her?" Raine asked him.

Jace laughed to himself at the question. "That's the thing. I've only known her since last weekend. She was just so damn nice to me. I even asked her to go with me to Atlas and we ended up sleeping on the couch together after we told each other about things that happened to us." Jace said and sighed to himself.

Raine thought for a moment at what Jace said. "Could it just be that she healed your arm that you think of her that way?" She asked and sat across from him on a log.

"It's not that, at least not all of it. When we went to Atlas, every time I felt nervous or felt a lump in my throat from something, she could just put her hand on my shoulder or say something and I calmed down completely. It's just so weird… I just met her and I'm in love with her… I really don't know what to do." Jace answered her and held his head down.

"So she has that kind of effect on you? I think you should just tell her how you feel." Raine gave the only advice she could and they sat in silence for a long while.

"Do you think your other Ranger friend has watched us?" Jace asked when he cleared his mind, looking around the forest.

"I don't know. If she has, she probably would've said something by now. But Will probably told her I was out here."

They sat around the campfire for thirty minutes and checked their gear, then a Beowulf reared its head from around a tree. Both Jace and Raine were surprised by the sudden appearance of the Grimm. They jumped from their seats and Raine quickly brought _Amaranth_ up and drew an arrow back all the way, then let it loose into the Beowulf's eye. It slumped to the ground with a loud thud and started to evaporate as an Alpha stalked toward them from behind the smoke. Raine drew another arrow as Jace created a bolt claymore and held it ready.

Before anything moved forward, a cloaked figure jumped from the tree above them and pierced the Beowolf through the neck with dual swords. She twisted one sword clockwise and down, and the other counterclockwise, slicing the beast's head off.

"Raine! Impressive reflexes as always!" The arrival said.

As the Beowulves evaporated into the air, she placed her swords in their black leather and metal sheaths on her belt, then turned to Jace and Raine, removing her hood and revealing her tanned skin, bright gold eyes, long, dark blue hair with black streaks through it, and cat ears to match the blue. She stood at six feet in height. Under the cloak she wore a dark blue, low-cut shirt with Raine's emblem on the upper right breast of it in white. Around her neck was a choker of sorts with a strap going down to a ring on her chest, which had straps going to either side of the shirt's collar. Her form would've left Jace stunned if he wasn't so surprised, having d-cup breasts and a slightly slim figure with wide hips and thick thighs to match, unlike Alyss' slender legs. Jace blushed when he thought of that. The arrival wore black pants and combat boots as well. On her upper left thigh, there was a belt cinched tight and holding containers with different dust vials. She looked like she could be fresh out of an academy.

"Vivi!" Raine called out and ran to hug the Faunus Ranger.

"It's good to see you again, Raine!" Vivi said and hugged back. Her voice had a thick accent to it, making her sound almost foreign to Remnant. Possible from Menagerie, Jace has never been there or met anyone from there. Her voice was deep in range as well, but lighter than Glynda's. It was a near captivating voice as well.

"You too, Vivi. Why were you up in a tree?" Raine asked.

"Well, this one was chased by a vicious looking fox and I was just so scared to come back down!" Vivi teased and Raine blushed.

"Okay… I thought cats needed help getting down from trees?" She teased back.

Vivi smiled. "I had something to land on. You know, a Grimm's fur is surprisingly soft."

"Yeah, I found that out last week when I landed on top of an Ursa Major," Raine shook her head at the thought, "How long have you been up there?"

"For a few hours. Do you remember what you told me before?" Vivi grinned at her, "How people rarely look up when searching for an intruder?"

"I…!" Raine started and lost her words. She sighed and face palmed, "Why didn't I think of that?"

"And I see you've made use of this one's gift, haven't you?" Vivi said and touched the pendant on Raine's rifle.

"Yeah. I really like it." She replied with a smile.

"So, you're another Ranger?" Jace asked. From the side, witnessing the teasing between the two Faunus.

Vivi turned to him and nodded. "Yes, I am. Vivian Strife. Ranger to Vale, recent graduate of Beacon, and friend to all who buy me drinks," The Ranger said with a laugh, "This one is pleased to meet you, Jace Reznor. Please, call me Vivi."

The two shook hands and locked eyes for a moment. Vivi, along with her blue and black hair, had a scar over her right eyebrow and she had multiple piercings. Two rings in her right cat ear, two studs in her left normal ear, and one ring in her bottom lip, on the right side.

"Yeah, I'm not gonna ask how you know me. Nice to meet you too."

"So, what brings you out here, Vivi?" Jace asked, taking his seat by the fire again.

"Will told me that my good friend was training just outside Vale with her friend and I just had to see her again. It's been too long since we've talked." Vivi replied while taking off her cloak.

"It's only been since the Gathering a few months ago." Raine said.

Vivi looked to her with a smile. "I know, but this one always enjoys your company. It's always nice to be able to talk with you." She said to her, making her blush and look down.

"Fair enough, I guess." She replied.

"Why do you have Raine's emblem?" Jace asked the Ranger.

"Well," Raine started, "It's not _just_ my emblem. It's the emblem of the Rangers."

"We all have it in one way or another." Vivi added.

A few seconds later, Jace noticed a blue and black tail moving behind Vivi. "Hey Vivi, I thought that Faunus only take one animal trait when they're born. How do you have both cat ears and a tail?" He asked.

"Hah! This one was wondering when you would notice!" Vivi laughed, "It's because I was born with a specific mutation, it gives me both the ears and tail. It confuses people when they finally realize it." The Ranger replied, moving both her ears and her tail around.

Jace could admit that he had definitely been confused when he noticed, and very much still is. "That's… interesting. Also, I was under the impression that Rangers always had bows, at least all two that I've met." He said with a question in the statement.

"Oh, not all of us have bows. Most of us do, though. It goes hand in hand with this one's semblance. I can move in complete silence when I use it. Sneaking around anything is as easy as walking," Vivi explained, taking out her swords again in the process, "Although, this one does have a bow too." She said as she combined the blades at the pommels, and the blades extended and curved into the shape of a longbow that Jace grew accustomed to seeing when encountering a Ranger. It was glossy black with a metallic blue shine to it. It shimmered differently at every angle. Near the handhold, there were two slots for dust vials. Unlike Raine's bow and more like Will's, Vivi materialized dust arrows to utilize, never having to worry about pulling a string.

"I call it _Obsidian_." Vivi said as he separated the blades, then she twirled them around a bit in the firelight.

Jace looked at the weapon with a grin, it was a beautiful looking pair of swords. Jace could see that they had slight curves to them, like Raine's sword, but were an inch wider from the edge to the back. There were no crossguard for them and the hilts were wrapped in some type of leather. The last thing Jace noticed were the multiple lines in the blades that marked the segments for them to extend. Vivi showing off _Obsidian_ made Jace pick _Standoff_ up from where it leaned.

He showed the blade to the Ranger and held it out for her to take hold of. Vivi was still looking over Jace's heavy blade when Jace spoke. "Along with that sword, I can make dustblades too, like you saw." Jace said as he materialized a claymore of ice dust.

"That's interesting." Vivi said while tilting her head.

"My friend told me that seeing new weapons is like meeting new people, but better. I agree with her. You actually get to see a person's creativity instead of talking about it. Although I can't tell you much about _Standoff_ like that, my brother made it and gave it to me." Jace finished.

"So, your friend told you that? She sounds pretty wise" Vivi said as she handed _Standoff_ back to Jace, then put on a more serious expression.

"Jace, I hate to have to bring this up with you, but…" Vivi sighed quietly, "As Will has told you, it's part of a Ranger's duty to know a lot of anything. And like Raine has surely told you, we _do_ take a silent and careful approach to any troubles…" She sighed again as he looked into the embers of the fire, "The point this one is trying to make is, the Rangers _do_ know about you, Jace Storm. Everything you've been through, we know it, except for Raine. She's been at the Gathering and traveling back then." Vivi looked at Jace, now seeing the metaphorical burning in his eyes from her words.

"Yeah, Will told me that you guys already knew about me. I was just wondering how far back it went. I'll tell Raine about all of that Sunday, but… why was that place allowed to stay as long as it has?" Jace asked, looking right into Vivi's gold eyes. The sudden tension radiating from Jace confused and worried Raine, but she stayed silent as the two spoke.

Vivi paused for a moment before answering. "Make no mistake, Jace… We knew about the kidnappings, but we had to take time to prepare. We knew where that place was but it would've been really bad to rush in without thinking. There were too many unknowns with how they operated," She paused to make sure Jace understood this.

When Jace nodded, she continued. "We were prepared to infiltrate the facility but one of our Rangers came back with news of a fight and a horde of Grimm. We had to fall back until everything calmed down. But before we did, we covered your and team RWBY's escape. We went back a few days later and saw the people already trying to rebuild and we dealt with them. We destroyed what was left of the facility, caving in the underground portion to make it useless… If we were faster-" Jace interrupted her by raising his hand.

He sighed sadly before he spoke. "Listen, Vivi… I don't know anything about Rangers or how you guys do things… but I know there was nothing you could've done for us. You were smart to take your time. We made the mistake of being careless with making a damn simple camp and we paid the price. I'm not gonna put the blame on you guys. There's no way in hell that I can. Thanks for keeping them from chasing us down."

Jace caught Vivi off guard with his calm attitude. "You're taking this pretty well… considering everything that's happened." She remarked, leaning forward with a curious look, one cat ear pointed upwards and the other flattened out.

"My dad once told me and my brother something. ' _Don't stare too long into the sun, that you forget the rest of the sky._ ' I can't keep dwelling and moping on all those things, I need to pay attention to everything else around me or I might lose everything again. I guess that's part of how I made a quick recovery…" Jace said, now holding up his left hand. Vivi smiled at the words.

"They'd want that from me." Jace finished.

Vivi put a hand on Jace's shoulder. "Your dad sounds like he was a pretty wise man."

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: Now we welcome two more Rangers into the story. For** **Vivi** **, I just figured that it would be a rare thing for a Faunus to have a mutation like that. I think it makes her a bit more interesting. And yes, I based her off the Khajiits from the Elder Scrolls, just a bit of her accent pretty much.**

 **The Rangers have been around the whole story, just in the shadows. That strange figure in the cloak from _'Back To School?'_ That was ****Vivi** **. Part of her job is to watch Beacon along with the council with Will. And like Vivi said, they kept the Grimm from running them down in the beginning.**

 **And the title? Yeah, I couldn't come up with anything better. They were training, and they couldn't have a time chamber like in DBZ, so yeah.**

 **Next chapter has a card game to be introduced which is one of my favorites. See you then, and have a nice day!**


	23. Chapter 22: The Time Is Coming

**The Time Is Coming**

After a few moments of silence and after the tension fell, Raine broke it. "I'm… really confused now, but you said you'd tell me Sunday about everything, so I'm gonna hold you to that."

Jace looked between the two before he took a small pack out of his pocket. "I will, don't worry. Now that that's out of the way, who wants to play some cards while there's still some daylight?" He asked, now seeing both Rangers' expressions lift.

"What game do you have in mind?" Vivi asked, leaning forward again.

"I figured we could play a game called Rummy, it's kinda the only game I know." Jace said while they went inside the cabin to sit around a table.

Rummy was a game where a player, of up to four players, had to achieve the highest score with his or her cards until either the deck ran out or a player emptied their hand. It consisted of each player starting with five cards. More than four players would make the deck run out too quickly. Playable sets included doubles to a full set of numbers, such as two fives, three fives, or four fives. Alternatively, a play can consist of 'runs,' such as an ace, which counts as one in this game, going all the way to a king, all in the same suit if the Gods were on the player's side. If another player plays a run of two through four, another player may play off of that by putting down a five for the four or an ace for the two, which would allow another player to play a six off the five or a king off the ace and so on. The score is counted by what a card is worth. Two through nine count as five points, ten through king count as ten, and an ace counts as fifteen. All cards that were played would be added up for each player. If one player emptied their hand, the amount of cards left in the other players' hands would be subtracted from their scores. Also, if a player sees a card in the 'junk' pile that they can use, they may call 'Rummy!' and pick that card up, along with any other that may be on top of it.

Jace explained the rules of the game the best he could to them, and the three started to play.

* * *

They played the card game well into the night, losing track of time with Jace winning almost every game.

"You know, you have an unfair advantage. I've never played that card game before." Raine exclaimed, crossing her arms in frustration.

"Neither has this one, but it's a fun game." Vivi added, except she was smiling.

Jace shook his head and smiled. "You two just have to play it more to get used to it." Jace said as he put his cards away.

"Well, it's time for this one to take her leave," Vivi said as she stood from her seat, "It was nice to sit around for a bit. Rangers hardly have that luxury."

Both she and Jace shook hands, and Raine hugged her. "It was good to see you again, Vivi." She said as she released her.

"You too, Raine. I hope I can see you again, soon." Vivi said before she left the cabin.

"I guess I can go ahead and tell you why I changed my last name." Jace said after a moment.

"You don't have to right now." Raine replied and lowered her eyes.

"I think you deserve to know after what me and Vivi talked about. I can tell it worried you how my attitude turned," Jace returned to his seat and rested his elbows on his knees, with his hands hanging downward.

"That place we talked about, the people that ran it killed my brother and our dad. My brother's name was Genesis Galloway. Before I came to Vale, my last name was Storm. Me and Genesis were orphans as kids and dad found us and took us in. Since Genesis gave me his sword when he died, I wanted to have something of dad's. Well, other than this cross…" Jace took hold of the cross around his neck and Iran his thumb across it.

"And my left eye used to be red. After dad died in my arms, my eye turned the color of his. Sky-blue. My right eye isn't even natural either."

"Oh… that's why you said your last name is Reznor… that's tough to hear."

"I guess you could tell what really happened that got me transferred here," Jace sighed, "But that wasn't a complete lie. Our teammates _were_ assholes and I didn't want to go back there."

"That's alright. I can understand that you'd want to keep it a secret."

Jace sighed and let his cross fall back to his chest. "Yeah, but I was gonna tell you Sunday anyways. I've been able to move past it mostly by being in Vale, having friends, and meeting Alyss. It does still hurt, but I was able to talk more about it with Alyss, teams RWBY and JNPR in Beacon and Ozpin, and that pain is fading away. Just stay patient until Sunday." He finished with a smile.

"I'll be patient with it. That's another thing Rangers have to have." Raine said and smiled back.

Jace checked his scroll and stood up to stretch. "Damn, it's already almost eleven? Time can really fly by if you let it." He yawned from the tiredness that caught up with him.

"We should probably get some sleep now. We'll wake up whenever and head back into Vale." Raine said as she walked toward a bed.

"Yeah, good idea. I'm probably gonna call Auron tomorrow before we go and see if I can help with his truck." Jace said and stepped toward the other bed.

"Who's Auron?"

* * *

After Jace told Raine about Auron, the two Hunters-in-training slept soundly through the night, even though sore muscles protested in any movement. Their aura should take care of that soon enough, though. Jace woke up before Raine and stepped outside the cabin, quickly closing the door behind him to prevent the cold air from entering.

"Damn weather really can't make up its mind." He said to himself and shook his head. It was eleven in the morning, so he guessed that Auron would be awake by then. Jace called his scroll and waited.

"Hey Jace. What's goin' on?" Auron answered.

"Nothing much. Me and Raine are gonna head back into the city later. We've been out training the past week to pass the time. I figured I'd call to see if you needed a hand with your truck when I get back." Jace said as he leaned against a tree.

Auron let out a bark of laughter. "So I'm stuck here with a broken truck and you're out there havin' fun? Oh well, yeah, I could use some help."

"Alright then," Jace looked over as he heard Raine walk out of the cabin, "Where's it stuck?" He asked, nodding to Raine as she looked at him.

"It's at the docks, I'm on my way over there now," Auron replied and let out a breath of air. "This weather's actin' pretty strange, ain't it?"

"Yeah, it is. I bet it'll be hot later," Jace remarked, "I'll let you go now. I'll be there sometime today. See ya then."

"'Till then."

"You feeling sore at all?" Raine asked as Jace put his scroll away.

"I was last night, but not now. Thank aura for that," Jace chuckled, "But I do kinda feel some pain below my shoulders, on my back. Don't know why." He said, now unable to take his mind from the slight pain.

"That's weird. Anyways, when do you want to go?"

"Any time. We should get some coffee first, though." Jace replied, then they went back inside. Raine put logs in the fireplace while Jace got the coffee and the water ready.

They decided to play a few games of cards while they waited for the coffee to heat up. "Dust, I think you're gonna get me addicted to this game." Raine said and emptied her hand on the first go, winning almost as soon as the game started.

"I actually won!" She said excitedly.

Jace laughed as he saw her expression. "Luck has a lot to do with this game too, along with your brain." He said as he pointed to his head, "Although I don't have much in that area." He laughed at himself, then dealt the next hand of cards.

"I missed playing this game." He said while laying down three sevens. Raine played a seven off of Jace's cards, then laid down the rest of her hand in a run of nine through queen.

"Are you sure about that?" She asked while smiling at his statement.

"Hey, losing's a part of the fun. Anyway, the coffee's ready."

They finished the drink quickly and gathered what little things they brought with them, then set out. It took three hours to get back to the commercial district of Vale, mostly due to heavier traffic.

"Hey, Let me off up here." Raine said and Jace pulled over.

"Well Raine, I had a fun time. You're a good fighter." Jace complimented her.

"You too. I'll see you tomorrow. Take care." Raine replied while hopping off of _Titan_. She stored the helmet in its case and waved goodbye.

"See you later, Raine." Jace said to her.

As Raine walked away, Jace sent a message to Auron to let him know that he was in the city and he was on his way. It took him thirty minutes of driving as fast as he could risk to get to the industrial district, then to the docks. He drove around for another half hour before he finally spotted Auron, then pulled up next to him.

"Well you sure took your sweet-ass time gettin' here, didn't ya?" Auron said jokingly while greeting Jace.

"Yeah yeah, I know. Traffic and all that. I guess this is your truck?" Jace asked, looking at the dark-green, two-door vehicle beside them.

"Yeah, it is. Still can't figure anything out. Nice motorcycle, by the way."

"Thanks. Well, let's see what we can do about this."

* * *

From when Jace arrived at the docks at two o'clock, they worked around on the truck for two more hours, both getting equally frustrated.

"This is bullshit! I can't figure out what's wrong with this fuckin' thing!" Auron said angrily and leaned his back against the truck.

"The only thing I can think of now is to check the fuel pump. Some hoses could've got bent out of shape or something," Jace suggested, "At least I remember some of this from dad's problems."

Auron walked over to the driver side and dropped to the ground. "Might as well check the damn thing out." He grumbled and grabbed a couple wrenches, sockets, and a ratchet.

They spent thirty minutes getting the gas tank off the truck. "You know, I'm glad for all the liquified burn dust and all, but you'd think that you could just use crystals for it too. Just shove it in a slot under the hood or something." Jace said and shook his head.

"You know what? I might get that done one day." Auron said and the two lowered the tank to the ground.

The problem was clear as day now. The hoses were cut and bent to hell, almost falling apart in Auron's hand. "Well shit, we found it. How the hell did it let me make it here? An' why the hell didn't it leak gas when I tried startin' it?" Auron asked, then shook his head, "That don't matter. I need to replace these, thanks Jace,"

"An' before you go, I got somethin' for ya." He said before he hopped in the back of the truck and accessed the large trunk he brought with him.

Jace peered over the side and noticed something in the back window, "Is there a reason you have a big club in your truck?" Jace asked when he noticed the two-handed weapon.

"It's somethin' I took from a fight a few months back. But these…" Auron said as he pulled four magazines from the trunk, "Are for that _AGR_ o' yours." Auron handed Jace the magazines and Jace stared in confusion.

"How the hell do you have these?" Jace asked as he took them from Auron's hands.

"Remember when I said I had one pointed at me? I didn't take too kindly to it." As Auron closed the trunk and locked it back, one more thing caught Jace's eye before it closed.

"What was that rifle in there?" He asked. Auron paused in his actions and looked to Jace with sadness in his eyes.

"It's called _Jackhammer_. It used to be my dad's gun… before he passed." Auron said in a low voice.

Jace sighed and lowered his head. "Damn, I know how that feels…" He said before the large boy jumped from the truck.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go beat my head into a wall for not realizin' this sooner." Auron said as he held the ruined hoses in his hand.

Jace chuckled and stepped toward his vehicle. "Call me and let me know if it works. See you tomorrow."

"I'll call if I dont forget. See ya then, Jace." Auron said as Jace got on _Titan_ and left. He drove back toward the garages, taking another two hours to drive through the streets.

* * *

 _"So Jace, I see you've been doing good."_

 _Jace turned around at hearing the words, and standing ten feet from him was Genesis._

 _"Genesis!" Jace yelled as he ran to his fallen brother, hugging him as tightly as he could. "Gods… I wish you were here."_

 _"Yeah, I wish I was there too. It looks like you've been having a hell of a time," Genesis said as Jace stepped away. "You've been pushing forward. Taking dad's old words to heart, huh?"_

 _Jace looked at Genesis and smiled. "Yeah, those are good words to live by. How am I doing?"_

 _Genesis laughed heartily at the question, "You've been doing us both proud. You've really grown as a fighter and that new arm of yours is awesome," He gave a grin and patted Jace on the shoulder, "I'm really glad you put Michael and Liza in their place. Even happier that you used_ Standoff _for it."_

 _That got a laugh from Jace. "Me too, I knew that they'd blame us, but oh well. They're in the past now."_

 _"I'm really glad you're taking_ Titan _with you too. At least you can drive it around." Genesis said with a sigh._

 _"Yeah, I'll take good care of it, just like your sword. But it's like Yang told me. I have your spirit with me in_ Standoff _, so you can kinda be there too." Jace replied, now seeing a pair of white wings sprout from Genesis._

 _"I guess that's one way to look at it," Genesis smiled, "Well Jace, we're both glad that you found friends. I just really wish I could be a part of all that chaos with you down there." Genesis said as Jace stared at the wings._

 _"Thanks, man. Did you see what I can do with the dust in me?" Jace asked and materialized a bolt claymore._

 _"Yeah I did, that's a pretty cool ability," Genesis said with a smile. "I see that you've been taking my sword everywhere too," He continued as the greatsword materialized in his hand._

 _"How 'bout we have a sparring match, for old times sake?"_

 _He drew a wide smile from his younger brother. Jace held his weapon ready. "Just like old times." He said before they launched themselves at each other._

* * *

 _After ten minutes, what seemed like hours to Jace, they finally came to a stalemate._

 _"We still can't one-up each other can we?" Jace asked, holding his weapon to his side._

 _"It looks like we can't," Genesis replied as he put his sword on his back. "I think it's about time I left. We're both proud of you." Genesis said, leaving a silence between the two for a few moments._

 _"I still can't believe all this is happening. From what we went through, to you and dad dying, to me getting put on a new team in a new school… Do you think that I found a new home?" Jace asked. Genesis didn't have to think on the answer,_

 _"Yeah, I do. You've got good friends, a great team in the making, a school actually filled with friendly faces, and a bit of something else," Genesis said with a wink, "You're gonna go far, man. Just try to show my sword some more love in fights. I'll be watching you enjoy the ride," Genesis turned around to leave, "See you later-"_

 _"Before you go, I want to say something real quick." Jace said and Genesis turned back to him._

 _"What is it?"_

 _"I just wanna say that you didn't break your promise," Jace smiled toward him with tears in his eyes, "I'm not alone. Don't worry."_

 _Genesis smiled back at him. "Yeah… I realized that. See you later, Jace." He said and his wings enveloped him, then he evaporated into a flurry of white feathers._

 _After the feathers disappeared, Genesis spoke again, "Oh yeah, I forgot to say this. Get ready to fly!"_

* * *

Jace awoke feeling both sadness and happiness in his mind, he didn't know what to think and feel at the moment. After having that dream, he felt a sense of excitement for the coming days, but was also filled with nervousness. He walked to the window and laid his hands on the windowsill, and looked outward to the horizon. Only one thing came to his mind.

"What did you mean by that?"

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: A chapter just around 3,000 words. That's rare. The next chapter is past 7,000** **. Speaking of that, that's when the party will take place. It's gonna be pretty good I think/hope.**

 **The new team is finally gonna come together. They'll learn about where they each came from and it'll just be a good time for them all… mostly. Especially RWBY and JNPR considering they're getting a break from training.**

 **See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	24. Chapter 23: A Word of Thanks

**A Word Of Thanks**

Jace sat in his room until three-thirty in the afternoon, then started to pack his things. He didn't have a lot, only a few sets of clothes, his two books and the three weapon catalogs, his weapons, and that journal. He wore his casual outfit consisting of black and silver boots with one strap and buckle around the top and a zipper on the side of both, dark grey jeans, the shirt with the one winged warrior, and his checkered long-sleeved shirt with his emblem. He still wore his leather glove over his prosthetic hand. Since there was no place for _Standoff_ on his long-sleeved shirt, Jace wore Genesis' harness under it, leaving him to carry _Siege Breaker_ in his hand.

He walked out of the room and checked out of the hospital. "Your room is finally free, thank you for keeping me and taking care of me." Jace said to the woman at the front desk.

"You're welcome. Be careful and have a good day."

"You too." Jace replied as he turned around.

"Oh, and good luck at Beacon!"

"Thanks!" Jace called back to her and stepped out the door.

He pulled his scroll from his shirt pocket and went to call Auron to ask about his truck, but what he walked out to answered the question he had.

The gunslinger arrived outside the hospital with his truck, waiting for Jace to exit.

"So, you got it fixed. Have you got an area at the garages yet?" Jace asked while placing his things in the truck bed.

"Yep. Called about it after I got it fixed yesterday. You ready to go?" Auron asked.

"I'm good, let's go."

* * *

They arrived at the garages and left the truck there, now walking to the airdocks with Auron carrying his trunk on his right shoulder like it was nothing and Jace resting his axe on his left shoulder.

"So, the day's about here. You nervous?" Auron asked and turned to Jace

"I'm not gonna lie, I'm nervous as hell. I don't even know what the initiation will and I don't expect to be told until tomorrow," Jace replied and breathed deeply, "But I've got your back." He said as he held out his fist, Auron did the same and grinned.

"Same here. Here's to a hell of a ride." They knocked their forearms together and walked on to the docks.

After a few minutes, Jace spoke up again, "I forget to tell you the situation with my name." He said and turned to the larger boy.

"The hell d'ya mean by that?" Auron asked and looked back at Jace in confusion.

"Well, now my last name is Reznor. I'm leaving Storm in the past with the parents that abandoned me. It's my adoptive father's last name I'm using now." Jace explained and Auron nodded.

"Well, I ain't gonna be confused later. Thanks for lettin' me know."

They barely made it to the docks before an airbus departed, making it aboard just seconds before it took off. They sat down on a bench near a window and relaxed for a bit. It was almost time for them to take their first step into initiation, so they took this time to think of their futures.

Jace's thoughts being to live for both himself and Genesis, and what to say to Alyss when he built up his courage.

 _If_ he built up his courage.

Auron's thoughts were about how to deal with those that were no doubt trailing him for what he knew. At that thought, He scowled to himself. That wasn't important to him now, he had to focus on fighting alongside Jace and the others in the initiation. As long as they weren't after his mother, then he'd take a whole army of them. Then again, if they _were_ after her, he would take on a Kingdom if he had to.

Lost in their own thoughts, they didn't notice the airbus dock until a friendly student from Vacuo let them know. They thanked the girl and stepped off of the ship, then looked around. It was drizzling cold rain when they arrived, so they quickly made their way to the cafeteria.

"Early, ain't we?" Auron asked, looking around and seeing no one else there.

"It's always better to be early than late. It wouldn't really be good for me to be late since I planned this." Jace replied with a grin.

"Fair enough. When do you think everyone'll show up?" Auron asked as they sat down.

"Well, it's five-thirty, so really any time now." Jace replied and relaxed.

Not even a minute later, Ozpin walked in carrying a small package and made his way over to the two. "Mr. Reznor, Mr. Karmine. I trust you are both doing well."

"Yeah, I've been better since yesterday. Finally got my truck fixed, thanks to him." Auron replied and pointed at Jace.

"I've been good too. How have you been?" Jace asked the headmaster.

"That's good to hear from the both of you. And I've been well, thank you," Ozpin said and smiled, then held the package to Jace, "I believe this is for you."

Jace took the package and looked it over. "Oh, these already came in?" Jace said and set the package on the table. "Thank you sir."

"It is no trouble. You two have a good night. I will see you both in the morning." Ozpin bowed his head to them both, then turned to leave. On the way out, he walked past Alyss. She was wearing a tight, dark purple dress shortened to the middle of her thighs, her white hoodie, and black pants with her oakleaf necklace, along with her hair in a ponytail like she had when Jace first bought her the purple bow.

"Ah, hello Ms. Wystar. Is your mother still well? Ozpin asked her with a smile.

"She is, thank you. She says she still has trouble in her back but she wants me to save my semblance for younger people who need it." Alyss said with a sigh, "I could do it no problem, but I can't change her mind on it. She's stubborn."

"I've learned that you can't do much with stubbornness," Ozpin replied and chuckled, "Have a good night Ms. Wystar."

"You too, sir. Thank you again." Alyss said as the headmaster walked away.

She stepped forward toward Jace and Auron. "Hey Jace, I'm happy to see you again!" She said as Jace got up to hug her.

They hugged each other tightly and Jace smiled. "You too, Alyss," He released her and turned to Auron, "This is Auron Karmine, one of the other two in the initiation with us. Auron, this is Alyss Wystar." Jace introduced the two and they shook hands.

With his large frame of six feet and nine inches and his broad shoulders and thick, muscled arms and legs, Auron looked significantly taller than Alyss' slender frame. She was five feet and eight inches in height, but the difference didn't faze her in the slightest.

"Nice to meet you, Auron." She said and she took a seat.

"Likewise. I hear you healed Jace's arm too, that's a hell of a semblance you got." Auron replied as he leaned his bladed rifle against the table.z

"So what can you tell us about your weapon?" Jace asked and pointed toward it.

"We got time before the others get here, might as well show ya." Auron replied as he picked his weapon back up.

"It's name is _Last Call_ , it's a lever-action rifle an' a claymore all in one." He said as he held it up.

As it was now, the blade was extended halfway down the bottom half of the barrel, leaving enough room to hold it for aiming. On the top, the blade extended all the way to the large receiver. Lastly, the stock was wooden and as normal as one could be, only thinner than most rifles. As it was now, it was fully formed and had his emblem burned into the side on the right. Auron used his aura to transform the stock into a hilt for the sword, designed to be held with one hand. The bottom blade extended down to the hilt, and both sides of the blade extended and met in front of the barrel, completing the tip.

It was as large as any standard claymore, slightly larger due to the fact that it was a large caliber rifle with its large receiver and barrel. The lever acted as the hand guard while the sword didn't have a crossguard due to the receiver. The blade was a deep brown color, signifying that Auron used a good amount of brown dust, which was the element of earth. The barrel, however, was tinted red, meaning that it was made with burn dust.

Auron laid his weapon on the table. "I used earth an' burn dust for this, you could probably tell. An' with that in the barrel, it just makes for a two element shot pretty much when I put my aura to it. Burn-earth, burn-bolt, ain't tried burn-ice yet, can't imagine it'd do too well," Auron said with a chuckle and sat down, then continued.

"If I don't have the blades extend into the tip, I can use the shots from it to make my swings harder. I put a month straight into makin' this after I got all the parts made an' ordered. Maybe it took two months? I can't remember. All I know is it might've helped me if I had it in the Mistral Tournaments." Auron finished and looked over his sword.

Jace and Alyss looked over the blade for every detail while Auron pulled his pistols out. "While I'm at it, I'll show ya my revolvers too. They're pretty simple though."

Now that Jace can see them clearly, he saw they used significantly smaller cartridges than _Last Call_ , but were still very large. One was black and gray, the other was black and lavender colored. They worked like double-barrel shotguns, having two hammers and triggers for each barrel to fire separately, letting him have four shots before needing to pull back the hammers.

"I call these _Smoke & Preacher_. Named 'em after my dad an' a good friend. I've had these since before I made _Last Call_ , bought 'em at a gun show," He spun the heavy cylinders of both guns, they each could hold twelve shots. Auron held them out for both of them to take and inspect themselves.

"I got a hell of a trick up my sleeve too," Auron said and opened his trunk. He reached in and pulled out a yellow dust crystal. He squeezed it in the palm of his hand, pulsing his aura through his palm. When he opened his hand, he revealed a perfect bullet tip and set in on the table. Then he took out a burn-crystal and an empty cartridge for his rifle.

"I can make my own ammo." He started grinding the burn-crystal into dust with his aura and dumped as much as he could into the casing, then he put the yellow bullet into the tip and used his aura to squeeze it in as tight as it could go.

"How do you make it?" Alyss asked as she handed Auron the revolver back, leaning in closer to see the dust round better.

"I was taught how to channel an' control my aura a lot better. I was eventually able to just squeeze a crystal in the palm o' my hand to shape it, but not before they blew up in my face a few times," He said as he pointed to a rough 'x' shaped scar on his cheek. "If I'm gonna be on a team with y'all, I might need to teach all of ya sometime."

As Auron finished explaining how he can produce his own ammunition, two members of team JNPR walked into the hall, Pyrrha and Nora, wearing some more casual clothes. Nora wore a pair of black sweatpants with a white line on the sides of the legs, her pink and white sneakers, a white T-shirt, and a pink jacket with her emblem on the back of it. Pyrrha wore a pair of dark blue jeans, a red button-up shirt that was buttoned all the way up, with two buttons undone at the top, and she wore a pair of high heels. Auron smiled to himself as Jace waved them over.

"Hey guys, glad you could make it." He said as he stood up to greet them.

"Hello again, Jace," Pyrrha greeted and bowed her head to him, "I see your prosthetic is still treating you well."

"It has been, thanks. How've you two been?" Jace asked.

"Oh, we've been well."

Nora laughed. "We've been better than just ' _well_!' We've been awesome! I can't wait to get back to knocking Jaune around!" She said with a devious smile.

"That can't be healthy for him. Anyways, where _are_ Jaune and Ren?" Jace asked, noticing that the two weren't there yet.

"They will be here, don't worry. They had to retrieve something." Pyrrha said, then they went to sit down. She finally noticed the tall boy at the table and gave a wide smile.

"Auron? Is that you?"

"Pyrrha! Damn, this is the last place I expected to see you!" Auron said as he rose from his seat to greet her.

"You know him?" Nora asked in confusion and noticed Pyrrha smiling at him.

"Yes, we know one another. We fought on multiple occasions in the Mistral Tournaments." Pyrrha explained.

"An' she beat me every single time. I was so damn close to winnin' those things. If it wasn't for you, I probably _would_ have," Auron said before he walked to them and hugged Pyrrha.

"It's good to see you again, Pyr."

"You as well, Auron."

Unlike most people, Auron always saw Pyrrha as a person, rather than worship her as a near-legendary fighter at her young age. He saw past that, talked casually with her when he could, trained with her when at Sanctum, and they fought with all they had in their matches, with Pyrrha getting the better of him every single time. They grew to respect each other and grew to be close friends at Sanctum, but grew apart due to Pyrrha's contracts with different companies, forcing her to attend weapons demonstrations and the like before she moved to Beacon.

"So, what made you wanna come to Beacon?" Auron asked as they sat down.

"A fresh start, to be truthful. I guessed that not many people would recognize me. The fame and instant recognition is just something I honestly couldn't stand anymore. I'm very glad I came here," She replied with another smile, "What made you want to attend?"

Auron thought for a moment before getting his answer right in his head. "Shade an' Atlas were out of the question, same with Haven really. I just decided to come here to get the best trainin' I can get," Auron said with a smile of his own, but it dropped quickly, "A lot of other stuff too." He said quietly, but Pyrrha heard it.

"I hope it wasn't under bad circumstances." Pyrrha said and Auron sighed.

It wasn't even two minutes until Raine steeped from the shadows of the cafeteria, taking off her cloak as she made her way to the table. "Raine, I swear you Rangers need to stop doing that." Jace said as he greeted her. The word 'Ranger' caused the groups' heads to turn.

"I was waiting for someone to notice, but that would've took all night. Good to see you again." Raine said and laughed.

Jace smiled and nodded. "You too. Everyone, this is Raine Daturas. She's an apprentice Ranger and we trained with each other last week outside the city." He introduced her and everyone else introduced themselves as well.

"So you're one of the Rangers? I know three of 'em." Auron said and sat a bit straighter at Raine's last name.

"An apprentice, but I'll be a full fledged Ranger soon enough. Who are they that you know?" Raine asked.

"One's that good friend I mentioned. His name's Preacher, never had a last name that I knew of. I think he said he had a bad family an' got away from 'em or somethin' a long time ago." Auron replied, making Raine grin.

"Preacher, huh? He was one of the more… loud… of us. How's he holding up now?" Raine asked and put on a sad smile.

"Last time I seen him, he promised to stay at the house and watch over mom. He was still gettin' used to that leg. I guess they'll have his official retirement at y'all's next Gatherin'," Auron replied to her with a sigh.

Raine sighed as well. "Our leader told us what happened after the Gathering. He was a great Ranger from what dad always told me."

"He's a damn good friend too," Auron said and took a deep breath, "The others were Erron Rowan and Emowyn Daturas. They helped us out a lot."

Raine's head shot up at the names and she gave a wide smile. "Emowyn? That's my big sister. What were they helping you with?"

Auron sighed again and frowned, "I'll tell ya later when everyone gets here. Keeps me from sayin' it twice."

"That works," Raine agreed and turned to Alyss. "So you're the girl that Jace told me so much about?"

"I guess I am. Nice to meet you Raine." Alyss replied as she held out her hand.

"You too, Alyss. I can't wait to get to know you." Raine replied and shook Alyss' hand.

As the fox and cat Faunus greeted each other properly, team RWBY stepped through the doors, each wearing different outfits than their usual, Yang's being the one Jace saw two weeks before. Ruby wore a light gray, long sleeve shirt under a black pinafore with red laces, and a red skirt with her emblem emblazoned in black. Blake wore a pair of black pants and a white shirt that was shortened to show her stomach, the shirt's sleeves extended to her elbows and showed the ribbons wrapped around her hands and she wore knee-high, high-heeled boots with two belted straps. Weiss wore a white jacket with black ridging, along with a white skirt with black on the insides, and long thigh-high boots.

"Hey guys," Jace greeted with a wave, "What've you been up to?"

"I've been taking it easy for a bit." Yang said and took her seat.

"When you _should_ have been studying or training," Weiss interjected as she sat down, staring at Yang and crossing her arms, then turned to Jace. "Hello Jace." She greeted him.

"We _have_ been training," Yang retorted to Weiss, "You train too much and you'll just wear yourself down," She smirked and winked at her, "Just take it slow and it'll be alright."

Weiss sighed and looked away while her cheeks reddened. "I have been taking it slow, thank you." She muttered under her breath, but Yang was able to hear her.

She chuckled and leaned over to her ear. "Like when I walked out of the shower the other day?"

Weiss' cheeks grew a deeper red and she gave Yang a death glare. "Yang. Stop."

Yang snickered and leaned back in her chair. "Whatever you say, Princess."

Jace chuckled a bit at the teasing, then he turned to the other two. "What about you guys?"

"It's been nice when we can relax." Blake answered easily.

"Yeah," Ruby agreed at her side, "Me and Blake's been reading this book together for a while. It's _really_ good."

"That sounds nice. I bought a book at the hospital that I still need to read." Jace replied with a smile.

Jace told them about the book and decided to let Blake borrow it, seeing as how he wouldn't be reading it for a while. While Jace handed her _Soldiers of the Wastelan_ d, Doctor Oobleck came in. Shortly afterward, Jaune and Ren arrived carrying a large cake. Jaune wore his usual blue jeans, sneakers, and black hoodie. Ren wore a dark green, long-sleeved shirt and gray jeans with black shoes.

Jace smiled widely and waved to them, but Ruby was the first to speak. "Ooohhh, is it someone's birthday!?" She asked excitedly, her mouth was almost watering from seeing the cake.

"It was about a month ago, but he was in a coma," Jaune said as the two set the cake down on the table, "Happy late-birthday, Jace."

"Oh Gods, you didn't have to make a huge cake. I'd just be happy with all of us hanging out for a bit." Jace said just before Nora cut off any other words.

"Oh that's just nonsense! This is a birthday party now! And no birthday party is complete without cake!" She said, grinning wildly, "You _know_ I'm not wrong."

"Yeah!" Ruby agreed and gave the orange haired girl a high-five, then turned to everyone.

"I-um… I can't argue, I guess." Jace said with a smile.

"Well everyone, I think we all know what to do," Ruby said and everyone nodded, "On the count of three. 1! 2! 3!"

"Happy Birthday!" Everyone yelled.

Jace was left speechless in the moment. He truly didn't expect this to happen. All of these people he had met just recently. The team that saved his life, the team that welcomed him, and his future teammates had all just given him one of the best gestures he'd ever received. He smiled widely at the kindness showed to him.

"Thanks for this, guys."

It took a few moments for Jace's emotions to settle. When they did, he aaddressed them all. "Well, since everyone's here, it's time for introductions," He said and motioned toward the other initiates, "Everyone, these two are Auron Karmine and Raine Daturas," He introduced them all to the two, with Yang nodding to Raine, remembering the fight with the thugs. Then Jace turned to Alyss, "And Doctor Oobleck, this is Alyssia Wystar. Everyone else already met her."

"Pleasure to meet you three," Oobleck said to them, "I look forward to having you all in class."

"Now we just need to wait for the food." Jace said, getting a quick agreement from Nora.

A few minutes later, the food arrived. Ozpin had done well in getting almost everyone's preferred food and drink. They decided to eat the cake after the main meal, drawing sighs from both Ruby and Nora. It was a double-chocolate cake with whipped cream and vanilla filling.

"I didn't know what you would prefer, so I chose the basics." Ren explained as he cut the cake.

After everyone had eaten, they took the trays to the garbage cans to dump their scraps and they took them to the racks near the kitchen, then they sat back down. Jace looked over to the two gathered teams of students and took a deep breath. He stood back up to say what he wanted to say.

"Well everyone, I'm really glad you wanted to be here. I know you're just supposed to be here to relax, but I just wanted to say one thing to you all. Thank you. Thank you all so much," Jace said, then he turned to team RWBY and Oobleck, "Doctor Oobleck, Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang… I really want to thank you again for saving my life. You five are the sole reason I came here. I wanted… I really _needed_ to be around people I knew after all that I've been through and I couldn't find that at Atlas. I mean… there were two people there, but I could never talk to them before. Even though we only knew each other for just a little while, we fought back to back and we started our friendship through fire, and I can't thank you guys enough. I wish Genesis was here to thank you too." Jace said to the five that helped him.

They each took a moment to express themselves, with Oobleck being the first. "Jace, you don't have to thank us. You could've went past the Grimm while they were distracted with us, none of us would've blamed you. But you chose to help us, both you and Genesis. If he were here, I could express my gratitude to him also. You have a home here with all of us, remember that and never forget what you went through. Never forget what you fight for." He said, causing Jace to bow his head.

The next was Yang. "Yeah, we're glad you could make it here after all that. You fought pretty good, even after your auras were drained. You didn't let that stop you and you fought through hell. You got my respect. You ever need any help, I'm all ears. We'll be here." She said and gave a strong nod

Weiss spoke after her. "I think that you'll fit in well here, rather than Atlas. As you've said before, they're mostly very 'stuck up'. But no one here is like that, not that I've seen. And again, I'm very sorry to hear about Mr. Reznor, he seemed like a good man, what little I have seen." She finished and Jace nodded to her.

Ruby followed. "You had our backs back then, so we'll have your back if you need it, like Yang said. Welcome to the big dysfunctional family!" She said with a wide smile.

The last was Blake. "You've shown that you have a good heart, that's a large quality that makes a great Hunter. We're happy to have helped you, but… I wish that we could've helped you more." She said with a frown.

Jace could feel tears welling up in his eyes. He sat in silence for a moment before he spoke again. "Thank you guys… I'm glad to have this place be my home," He said and turned to team JNPR. "And you guys. Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, Ren, I just want to thank you all for welcoming me here with open arms. You didn't even know me and you showed me the kindness that I never expected from strangers. If I could find a way to repay you, I'd do it in a heartbeat. And thank you for the cake, Ren. It was really good and I appreciate it."

"Don't mention it, Jace. You needed some friends and I'm glad to be one of them." Jaune said with a smile, solidifying the bond between them.

Pyrrha followed him. "It's always a pleasure to meet a new person. It's better when that person has a genuine and understanding soul, like yours. From what everyone has said, I wish I could have met your brother."

"You told us everything truthfully when we met. You trusted us, and we trust you in return," Ren said with a nod, "And for the cake, I went to great lengths to keep Nora from eating it. I'm happy you liked it."

"You helped our friends too, so it was natural that we gave you a chance. I'm glad I don't have to break your legs." Nora said as she flashed a wicked grin, causing Jace to grin in return.

Jace smiled and nodded to them all. "Thanks guys. Now that that's out of the way, I think we can each tell about where we come from," He said as he turned to his future teammates, "I'll go first since I've kept Auron and Raine in the dark." He finished and then told his story once again.

From the time he and Genesis were kidnapped to the moment he woke up in Vale, he told everything in between. Including the other prisoners. He also told of his visit to Atlas to receive his prosthetic arm, and told the others about the motorcycle he brought with him, minus everything that happened with Alyss.

"That's hopefully the last time I have to say that about being kidnapped." Jace said and sighed deeply.

"So that's what you and Vivi were talking about… I don't know what to say…" Raine said after a moment.

"Same here. I figured somethin' bad happened considerin' you needed a prosthetic arm but… damn, that's worse than what I thought." Auron said and shook his head.

"Yeah… I'm glad none of you had to go through something like that." Jace said. He couldn't see Auron grit his teeth.

"Alyss, do you want to go next?" Jace asked the ash-blonde girl.

"Hmm, first, I think we should show each other our weapons." Alyss replied before she stood and brought up her staff.

She held it out and pressed one of the buttons, extending the blade to its glaive form. She pressed another button, turning it into a submachine gun. Everyone watched with interest, while Ruby was staring intently at the weapon as Alyss spoke.

"I named it _Soul Leaf_. I'll admit, I'm not the best at close combat, I've focused on my semblance more than fighting ever since I discovered it. But I can get by well enough." She said as she laid her weapon on the table.

"I think you fight better than 'well enough.'" Jace said with a smile.

"Thanks, Jace." Alyss replied to him as a hint of red tinted her cheeks at the praise.

Raine grinned at them and stood up as she picked up her bow. "This bow, _Amaranth_ , was a gift from my older sister a few years ago," Raine said and held her bow out for everyone to see, then laid it on the table with her arrows, "I use actual broadhead arrows. I'm part of one of the only families that use them and we make them ourselves," She said and then brought her rifle up.

"And this rifle is what I made myself a couple years ago. All Rangers are required to make their own weapon." She continued and picked up the rifle, then attached a silencer to it.

"So you got that silencer?" Jace asked with a grin.

"Yeah, I got it yesterday after I talked to Will when we got back. He gave it to me."

Once again, Ruby watched the weapon intently, being the weapon nut of everyone there. She studied it from her seat and didn't see any areas that were rusty or uncared for in any other way.

"Her name is _Shagahod_. I've trained for a long time getting my marksmanship down." She explained and took out the knife from it's right side, then her sword.

"Alright, that's pretty cool," Jaune said and looked at the blade, "Almost like mine, except… your sheath is a sniper rifle, and mine's just a shield."

"Oh, I like the pendant on your crossguard! It's so cute!" Ruby said as the chain dangled in front of them.

"Thanks," Raine smiled, "It's a gift from my friend after we met. I really like it too."

"It's cool that you have it with you when you fight," Ruby replied, then frowned a bit in confusion, "Don't you have a scope for your rifle? It's a sniper rifle, right?" She asked, looking confused by the lack of a scope.

"I don't have to worry about a scope for her. My semblance does a good job of replacing that need. My eyes can magnify for a really long ways when I want them to." Raine explained before she took her seat.

"That sounds so cool!" Ruby exclaimed.

Next was Jace as he laid _Standoff_ on the table along with _Atronach_. "Genesis made this sword a few years ago. When he died, he gave it to me. It has his last bit of aura in it and I'm gonna bring it with me everywhere I go. And this revolver was his first creation. The runes on it light up with whatever type of dust round I put in it when I pull the hammer back." He explained before he created an earth dust claymore to demonstrate his ability to Auron, then dematerialized it.

"So that's what you can do with that dust? That's gotta be useful." Auron remarked.

For the final thing, Jace grabbed _Siege Breaker_ , holding it out as he lifted it to show to Raine.

"Armed and ready, aren't you?" Raine remarked as Jace transformed the axe into its artillery form.

"Says the person with a sword, knife, longbow, sniper rifle, and a grip that's probably a pistol that you haven't told us about," Jace said and grinned at her, and she rolled her eyes.

"This is going in my locker though, for if I really need it. I named it _Siege Breaker_ , it's a weapon I've always wanted." Jace finished as he turned it back into an axe and laid it on the table.

"What happened to _Twin Fang_?" Ruby asked with a frown.

"I took it back to Atlas with me. It'll stay there unless something happens." Jace answered and sat down.

Everyone watched Auron as he stood up with his sword in hand and transformed it into its rifle form, causing Pyrrha to tilt her head.

"I see you've made yourself a new weapon. You replaced your old claymore?"

Auron nodded his head. "Yeah, I figured it was time to make somethin' of my own. It's done me well so far. I named it _Last Call_ , had it for maybe eight months now" He said as he placed the sword on the table along with his revolvers.

"It's very interesting." Pyrrha remarked.

"Alright, I guess I'll go next with how I'm here," Alyss started, gaining everyone's attention.

"I helped hold the Grimm back at the breach. Different area than all of you. But that's not completely why I'm here. My semblance, as you've all heard," She glanced at Jace with a grin, who shrugged as she continued, "Let's me heal almost any wound or injury. I helped almost everyone in that area before any medics arrived and Ozpin gave me this opportunity. And when I met Jace, I healed his burned arm." She finished with one of her smiles.

Raine spoke next. "A few months ago in April, my dad and I helped a Huntsman track down an Alpha Ursa, about four times as large as any other one. That was Professor Port. He saw me and dad work together to take the Grimm down with a few well placed arrows and suggested I go to Beacon. Since I missed the deadline to send my transcripts because I was training, he put in a good word for me, and now I'm here," She said as she shrugged, "It's as simple as that."

That left Auron, he knew it and sighed heavily. "I guess I'm next. Well, it ain't simple, not by a long shot," He said and prepared himself to tell his story.

"Back… five or six months ago… My house was attacked by White Fang," Those starting words made everyone bolt upright and listen even more intently.

"They wanted to learn about what my dad an' me knew. One of 'em snuck into our house, a snake Faunus, an' bit my mom in the shoulder. He poisoned her. My dad killed him an' we got her to the hospital as fast as we could. An' no, I don't hold anything against all Faunus because of it. My dad's name was Jeff, but he always went by Smoke 'cause of his semblance. My mom's name is Kathy, she thankfully got better,"

"For a few months straight, every few nights, the Fang sent a few grunts to our house and mess with us, usually shootin' an' then runnin'. Then back in July, they came at us in full force. We had a short fight that lasted half an hour before Preacher got the jump on 'em an' they fell back. I looked around an' noticed the emblems on their outfits didn't look right, an' Preacher realized that they belonged to the Crimson Lance, an even more violent branch of the Fang that operate in Anima. We rounded 'em up an' called the police. Surprisin' that they even came down, to be honest. Then Preacher called in help from Erron and Emowyn, two other Rangers that were in Mistral, an' Preacher's friends. If we coulda got a hold of the others before they left for the Gatherin', we might've put an end to it quicker,"

"We set up around the house to hold against 'em an' they attacked again, but we surprised 'em with more numbers than they expected. We held 'em off an' I ended up takin' a bad hit to the knee, almost kept me outta the fight. They sent a couple o' them stolen Spider Tanks at us an' we were able to destroy 'em thanks to a few special arrows an' a bit of a mix between mine an' dad's semblances. After that, Emowyn followed 'em back to their hideout while I recovered my knee. A few days passed an' I could walk right again, only thing is I keep gettin' a limp in it from time to time,"

"We waited another day for Emowyn to get back an' rested. After that, we went to the hideout an' surprised 'em while they were prepared to split their force an' send most of 'em to somewhere in Vale… goin' after a couple escaped prisoners," After Auron said those two words, Jace sat up straighter in his seat

"I'd say… I'd say that it was you an' your brother they were gonna go after then." He said toward Jace and sighed, then continued, "We fought the grunts off easy but their leader came outta hidin' with his lieutenant. Dad fought their leader, Hawk, an' I fought the lieutenant, Kain, while Preacher, Erron, an' Emowyn held off the grunts. I ended up barely beatin' an' killin' Kain, but dad… dad wasn't so lucky," Auron's voice started to go low and shaky now, and he gritted his teeth.

"The leader set off an explosion an' Preacher was caught in it… his leg was taken off. While dad was distracted by it, Hawk hit him with his huge sword an' put a deep gash on his chest. Then they pulled out an'left us alone. We got back to the house an' took 'em both to the hospital. Dad's wound was healed… but that bastard poisoned his sword when dad wasn't lookin'. It was a poison that didn't have a cure…"

Auron took a moment to pause as he started to feel tears welling in his eyes from the fresh and painful memory. With a heavy sigh, he continued. "It… it slowly paralyzed his body over a month… startin' with his feet. It was just… scary to see. The poison slowly workin' it's way through his body… his body just wastin' away… it ain't somethin' I'd ever want anyone else to deal with. He died in a hospital bed while mom sat by his side. We held his funeral an' Erron called the leader of the Rangers, tellin' 'im what happened an' told 'im about me, an' how I wanted to come to Beacon after that. He got a hold of Ozpin an' explained everything, an' he agreed to let me come here. I was halfway here on a boat when someone let me know. A week after I got to Vale, I met Jace and the rest is happenin' now." Auron took a very deep breath and closed his eyes, remembering every detail vividly.

Everyone was quiet for some time.

Jace's mind was trying to find anything to say about Auron's pain, the pain he knew as well. Too well. He also tried to remember why the name of Crimson Lance sounded so familiar.

Alyss held her hand over her mouth in shock about all that Auron went through, almost like Jace.

Raine was now aware of what fully happened to cause her sister to not attend the Gathering and she knew what fully happened to Preacher. That didn't help ease her mind though. This was something she wanted to put an end to.

Ruby, Blake, Weiss, and Yang stared at each other in confusion. No one else other than her team, Jace, and their friend Sun knew it, but Blake was once a member of the White Fang, having left the group due to their growing violence and hatred. Even she didn't know about the Crimson Lance though.

Team JNPR had no words, no thoughts other than their sympathies for what Auron had been through, along with Jace in the same time span.

Jace had a thought and reached into his bag. He pulled out the journal he had kept from the facility and sifted through the pages, his anger growing from remembering where he heard the name.

He finally found the page and laid the journal on the table. "That was them." He said with a sigh, causing everyone to turn their heads to him.

"What?" Auron asked.

"Read this," Jace said as he slid the journal over to Auron. "The scientist that experimented on us made a deal with the Crimson Lance. He got to use the facility in return for… something… It doesn't say. Me and Genesis fought a small group of them while we where escaping. I never expected or wanted to hear of them again." Jace finished and sighed to himself.

Auron read through the page and shook his head. "Damned Crimson Lance. It looks like me an' you are connected through 'em. We're gonna both have to watch each other's backs. They might come after you too."

Jace nodded in understanding of their dire situation. "Even though you're already doing it, I'm gonna tell you the words that kept my head straight through all of this. _'Don't_ _stare too long into the sun, that you forget the rest of the sky.'_ My dad told me that a long time ago and it fits our situation pretty well."

"Auron, I'm deeply sorry to hear about what you've went through." Pyrrha said sadly and with tears in her eyes after hearing what her old friend dealt with. "I'm so sorry about your father…"

"It's alright Pyrrha. I can't change what's happened, an' I need to keep my focus. I still got mom to look after," Auron replied and smiled. "An' if you don't care, I'd like to have a sparrin' match with you sometime. To see how far we've both come."

Pyrrha thought for a moment and wiped a tear from her eye. "I would love to. Sometime soon. After your initiation perhaps?"

"That sounds good. I can't wait for it.

* * *

It was close to nine o'clock, so Oobleck and teams RWBY and JNPR were about to leave before Jace stopped them.

"Thank you all for being able to be here. There's one more thing I want to say to everyone. For the kindness you've all shown me and the friendship you've given, I'll be around if you need me. I just want all of you to know that I'll fight from the Burning Hells to the High Heavens for each and every one of you. You have my word on that."

"Thank you, Jace. Good luck tomorrow in your initiation, all of you." Oobleck said to the remaining four before they departed, saying their goodbyes.

"I'll give you your book back as soon as I'm finished." Blake said as they walked out the door.

"So…" Jace said, gaining everyone's attention, "Everyone enjoy themselves?"

Alyss was the first to answer. "Yeah, I did. I think that we might make a good team." She said, drawing a smile from everyone there.

"I can't wait 'till tomorrow. This is gonna be a hell of a ride." Auron said.

Raine smiled widely. "Yeah, it will be. Jace, just remember our team move." She said with a grin.

"I don't think I'll be able to forget it." Jace replied while smiling.

"You two already have a team move? Didn't you just meet each other not too long ago?" Alyss asked them.

"Yeah, but we went and trained outside of Vale for a week, remember?" Jace replied to her.

"Maybe we should head on to the ballroom to get some sleep. We have a long day tomorrow." He suggested and received quick nods from everyone.

"Good idea. Let's head out." Auron said as he stood up and stretched, then grabbed his trunk. Everyone gathered their belongings, then left the dining room, as a team.

Before they arrived at the ballroom, Jace received a call on his scroll. "I'll be there in a bit, I need to answer this." Jace said and walked off, leaving the other three to head toward the ballroom.

"Hello?" Jace answered.

"Mr. Reznor, your order is ready. You may pick the headstones up at your earliest convenience." A woman said to him.

"Alright, thank you. Bye." Jace said and ended the call.

When Jace arrived at the ballroom, the others were already prepared for bed. Auron wore black pants and a deep red tank top, Alyss wore her purple nightgown with her hair down, and Raine wore a loose white shirt with brown pants.

"So, what was that call about, Jace?" Auron asked when Jace arrived.

"I called a couple weeks ago about getting two headstones made for dad and Genesis, and they called me back to tell me they're ready." Jace replied.

"Oh. Well, if you need my truck, just ask." Auron said, then they all prepared for sleep.

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: And there's the party. As the name of the chapter says, I want to say that too. I want to thank anyone that's stayed with me on this. Or if you thought it was interesting enough to read through to this part. If I could make something that people enjoy, then I'm happy.**

 **As for the main things, we know what happened to Auron that made him go to Beacon. Both him and Jace have their work cut out for them. And as for background stuff, we got some ships that are being built and they'll be ready to sail one day. I won't go into too much detail with them since this revolves around Jace, Auron, Raine, and Alyss mostly.**

 **Also, it was a birthday party, complete with cake.**

 **And I want to thank Kaiju62 for his fic Friends And Loved Ones, which gave me the idea to use Blake and Ruby reading a book together. It's an adorable thought. Go give it a read.**

 **I have something a bit different planned next chapter and the few that follow it. Look forward to that, and have a nice day!**


	25. Chapter 24: You or Them

**AN: Alright, here we go. This should run every day until it goes back to normal on Monday. The next few chapters are gonna delve back into Auron's background in detail. It'll tell about from when the Crimson Lance attacked in force to the day he left for Vale. This arc also has one hell of an ending too. I thought back to one time in my life for the inspiration. Stay tuned for that. This also goes into detail about his house that I forgot to add in the prologue. Please enjoy!**

 **XxXxX**

 **You Or Them**

Auron awoke to the sound of an explosion near the edge of his family's property. His house was two stories tall and had at least one window for every room. Where Auron's room was situated in the a corner of the second floor, it had a window and a small balcony. The window was where his desk was, with the desk under it, on the far side of the wall from his bed. The door to the balcony was straight across from the door that gave access to his room.

The house itself was built by his father and a family friend in their younger days. Its walls were made of red cedar and the floors were dark oak. The rooms on the second floor mostly had small balconies to sit on, and had small canopies over them to keep the weather and sun off of the occupant. The roof was mostly slanted and the top was flattened out, giving ten feet of walking room. The stairs that led to the roof were located in the attic, which had a set of folding stairs that entered the hallway below. It had taken Smoke five years to build the house, but he didn't have to pay anything to keep it other than the electricity and water bill, so it was worth it to him.

At the sound of the explosion, Auron jumped up and immediately picked up his weapons. He ran into the second floor hallway of the house and caught up to his father. A man only slightly shorter than Auron himself and was less toned than his son in his aging body of forty-five, but he would still be a challenging opponent in any fight. Smoke had the family trait of bright auburn eyes and had his hair cut short, almost bald. His beard was the opposite, it was thick, reaching his chest and peppered with black and grey.

"Dad, what the hell's goin' on!?" Auron asked as he caught up to Smoke.

"I don't know, son. But it's probably the damn Fang _again_." Smoke answered in annoyance.

"They really ain't gonna stop, are they? What're we gonna do?" Auron asked, seeing Smoke load his rifle with burn rounds.

"I guess we'll have to fight 'em… _again_."

The White Fang were near the house when Auron and Smoke broke open the front door, shooting at their assailants with a hail of dust rounds. The powerful shots easily found their mark and took out a few lower-tier grunts before they returned fire, causing the two to fall back into the doorway.

From what they figured out early on when the White Fang assaulted them, the regular, run-of-the-mill soldiers didn't have their auras unlocked to their full capabilities. The only advantage they had over the two were their numbers.

Muzzle flashes and multi-colored gunsmoke filled the night sky, leaving the smell of burning dust in the air. From what they could see, they counted twenty to thirty armed White Fang soldiers, including the ones brought down in the beginning of the fight.

"Are they actually tryin' now?" Auron asked before he shot at the grunts through the open window.

"Seems like it. Just be careful." Smoke replied as he stepped into the doorway to unload his rifle into the group of attackers.

A bullet went past Auron and slammed into the far wall. He glance at his father and grinned. "I'm glad we moved all o' mom's little statue things. She'd have a fit if they got broke."

Smoke laughed as he shot his full culinder of rounds. "You're damn right about that. That was good thinkin' on your part."

Auron grinned and thought of something. "Hey dad, I got an idea!" He said before he left and returned a few moments later with a baseball-sized burn crystal.

Seeming to know what his son meant, Smoke transformed his rifle into its warhammer form, with a large head that looked like a high-tech sledgehammer more than anything. He prepared to swing as Auron tossed the crystal in the air, then Smoke swung his hammer underhanded and sent the crystal toward the Fang.

Auron tracked it and when it got close enough, he shot the crystal and they both watched it explode, sending grunts in every direction and taking down a quarter of the small force. Auron took hold of _Last Call's_ stock and transformed it to its melee form, letting the blade extend all the way, and rushed out the door, followed by Smoke with his weapon, _Jackhammer_.

"Time to put that that thing to the test, huh?" Smoke said to his son with a small grin.

"I would've liked to use it against Pyrrha first, but it can't be helped." Auron replied.

By the time the soldiers re-focused their eyes from the blast, Auron and Smoke reached them. Auron tried to make sure he only knocked them out, he cut at them until their guard was down, then sent his aura through his right hand to throw powerful punches at their heads. The concussive force of his fist rocked their brains and knocked them out. Smoke couldn't care less about them. He struck with all his force, swinging at them with a side attack that sent two people flying far away, landing next to a cloaked figure that was walking toward the fight. Smoke brought his hammer up and around and slammed a soldier straight into the ground, then he brought it back up and slammed it into the side of another's leg.

After another minute of fighting, the soldiers were caught off guard by the cloaked man assaulting them from behind, bringing down most of the ones left with his silent revolvers before they knew what hit them.

"Damn it! Fall back!" The leader told the remainder of his men and they ran, leaving their comrades behind.

The two defenders met with the man and sighed in relief as he slid his hood off. "Damn, you're a sight for sore eyes, Preach. I'm glad ya made it." Smoke said as he gave the veteran Ranger a strong bearhug.

Preacher was a thin, older man in his mid fifties, but he could move around the battlefield with ease and silence like he was twenty. He was five feet and nine inches in height, his eyes were a dark shade of lavender and his hair was mostly gray with streaks of brown still visible. He used a silenced revolver as his weapon, with a blade attached under the barrel for close combat.

"Gah… let… go!" Preacher wheezed out and Smoke stepped back with a grin on his face, "Damn, you hug like an Ursa."

"How would you know what an Ursa hug feels like?" Auron asked with a smirk.

"Boy, I've been a Ranger for almost forty years an' I got even more left in me," Preacher looked up at the tall gunslingers and grinned, "You never know what shit can happen,"

"Anyway, what in the world have you boys got yourselves into? The hell is the White Fang doin' here?"

"They want what we know. An' they won't take 'get the fuck off our property' for an answer." Auron said with tiredness in his voice, then noticed the emblem on the back of one of their attackers' outfits.

It didn't look like the normal White Fang emblem. This one had the beast head facing forward, rather than to the side, with two sets of three crossed claw marks behind it.

They noticed one grunt stirring, trying to raise himself from the ground, and walked over to him. Auron grabbed the man by the collar and lifted him from the ground with one hand and held him in the air.

"Why do you people keep comin' after us!?" He yelled the question at the grunt, who grinned in return.

"You horde your knowledge from those that would make better use of it. The Crimson Lance will-" Auron changed his grip to the man's throat and slammed him into the ground, knocking him out.

"The hell's the Crimson Lance?" He asked, looking back to Smoke and Preacher.

Preacher rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "The Crimson Lance… that could be real bad news." He said, looking closely now at one of the emblems.

"You know about 'em?" Smoke asked and reloaded his rifle with bolt rounds.

"Yep. They're big fuckin' trouble. They're a more ruthless branch of the White Fang, usually operatin' on their own. We're in for a fight, let me tell ya," Preacher said and stood from his kneeling position.

"It's what you get for buildin' your house out here instead of a village or actually in Mistral."

"You know I don't care for the damn paperwork for that shit," Smoke replied, "An' I like the location."

Preacher rolled his eyes. "'Cause a house in the middle of a swampy clearin' looks _pretty_." He joked.

"If Kathy didn't like it so much, we would've already moved. An' besides, there was battles that went on around here from the Great War. Got a good amount of scrap an' dust over the years left over from that, still a lot more to go, too."

Auron looked at the emblem on the back of one of the grunts and took a deep breath. "Preacher, can any of the other Rangers help out?" He asked while looking around the field once again.

Preacher went from playful bantering with his old friend to serious in an instant as he turned toward Auron. "Hell, I don't know. I know Emowyn an' Erron's still in Mistral right now, but with the Gatherin' about to happen they'll probably be headin' out after the others soon. I can try to contact 'em sooner, maybe they'd lend a hand real quick."

"In any case, what do we do about these wastes o' space?" Smoke asked, gesturing to the Crimson Lance grunts sprawled on the muddy ground.

"Shit, I'll just call the police too. See if they'll come out here and get 'em." Preacher said as he brought out his scroll. While he was preoccupied with the police, Auron and Smoke moved to bind all of the unconscious grunts.

Preacher finished filing a report with the Mistralian police quickly and set up a group call with the other two Rangers, each answering after a few moments.

"Dust, Preacher, do you know what time it is?" Erron asked, trying to shake the sleep from his eyes.

"Yeah, Erron, I do. It's about one-thirty in the God damn mornin'." Preacher replied in annoyance.

"What's wrong?" Emowyn asked.

"Alright, you both know Smoke an' Auron Karmine an' how they got their knowledge of dust forgin' an' shit, right?" Preacher started, then both Erron and Emowyn confirmed. "The thing is, they got the Crimson Lance after 'em because of it. We just got finished fightin' 'em off not too long ago at Smoke's house. They got to have a hideout near here, so we're askin' for a favor. We could use a couple extra pairs of hands."

The two took a few moments to digest the information. "Alright, we're on our way. We'll send word ahead that we might not be at the Gathering." Emowyn said to him.

"Don't risk drivin' here. They might see you," Preacher suggested and looked toward the forest, "But get here as fast as you can." He said and the call was ended.

Preacher put his scroll up and walked toward the others.

"How long d'you think they'll keep tryin' this?" Auron asked his father while tying the last man's hands behind his back and binding his feet together.

"From what I know, they ain't gonna stop for anything. In all honesty, the Fang are like children. They keep throwin' their little tantrums to try an' get what they want. Whoever it was that took over really twisted 'em the wrong way. They were actually peaceful once." Smoke replied as Preacher came up to the two.

"They say that they'll be here as soon as they can. So I suggest we just sit back on the porch," The old Ranger said as he walked past them, "I'm gettin' too old for this shit."

While they waited for the police and the Rangers to show up, they each gave their weapons a bit of maintenance. Auron cleaned every part of his revolvers with oil, taking the cylinders out as he did so, and then disassembled _Last Call_. He checked the receiver thoroughly to make sure that it was undamaged and oiled it everywhere he could get the rag, along with cleaning the stock. He put his weapon back together and went to hone the already razor sharp blade, then passed the oil over to Smoke.

Smoke had his revolver-rifle disassembled also. His was more complex than Auron's weapon, and larger considering that it could transform into a warhammer with the stock morphing into the head of it. As he was finished with oiling _Jackhammer's_ parts, he reassembled it and gave the oil over to Preacher.

His was the simplest of all their weapons, only being a silenced and bladed revolver he called _Bear Tooth_. Like Auron's, he only had to remove the cylinder from it to oil, then sharpened the blade.

"I'm gonna go make up some coffee, considerin' we'll be up the rest o' the night. You two want some?" Smoke asked as he stood from the table. Auron and Preacher nodded, then Smoke disappeared to the kitchen.

"While your dad's doin' that, I'm gonna go back outside an' watch for the police an' the others." Preacher said and stepped out the front door.

Auron knew the two Rangers from what Preacher had said about them. Emowyn and Erron were two of the youngest Rangers with two years of experience from both of them, and were very close friends to the old man. If they needed three Rangers, then Auron knew this was a bad situation to be in.

* * *

Preacher walked back to the porch where both Auron and Smoke were waiting with coffee. "I saw some lights comin' this way, so I guess that's the police."

Smoke sighed and took a drink from his coffee. "They're gonna ask us the same shit an' were gonna tell 'em the same."

"Yeah. I know how annoyin' that is," Preacher replied as he took a seat, "I don't know how long it'll take for Emowyn an' Erron to get here. I told 'em not to drive here 'cause the Lance might be watchin'."

"That's a smart move." Smoke said and started seeing the vehicles come into view along with their flashing lights.

The next hour was spent with the police arresting the Crimson Lance grunts, putting the deceased ones into trucks and vans, and questioning the three defenders. It was the usual questions when this happened. Questions like 'What reasons would they have?' And 'How many times does this make?' The questions were the same as before. The answers were the same as before. The police would come to retrieve the bodies and the survivors, but would not spare the manpower to help with defending or even looking for the Lance. Anima was just too large of a continent to have the police cover everywhere, so they only patrol the most important villages and the capital.

The Crimson Lance had never tried an assault like this. They usually sent small teams to poke and prod them, testing them. Now, it seemed like the Crimson Lance were ready to bring war to them.

With all of the grunts, dead or otherwise, loaded up into the vehicles, Smoke, Auron, and Preacher went into the house to set up a room to plan for anything.

Nearly thirty minutes after the police left with the prisoners, there was a knock on the door. "Come on in!" Smoke called out. As they walked in, they slid their hoods off, with Emowyn revealing her fox ears, and Auron led them to their makeshift planning room.

Emowyn Daturas was five feet and seven inches tall and had a light tan to her skin, along with dark red hair that extended just past her shoulder blades and she had violet eyes. Her fox ears were black fur. Her weapon of choice was a shortbow with long runes along the shaft that was colored red in tribal looking designs along the edges. It was called _Firefly_ , using a string and actual arrows rather than dust arrows.

Erron Rowan was exactly six feet in height. Multiple breathing complications as a child forced him to wear a rebreather over his mouth most of the time. He modified it to be able to retract into a small pack on the back of his neck whenever he needed to eat or drink. He had short, almost jet-black hair to go along with his deep-red eyes. His weapon of choice was an ice dust enhanced, silenced combat rifle called _Frostbite_.

The two, just like all Rangers, excelled in silent combat.

They accepted the coffee from Smoke and they stood around the table in the room. "How'd you two get here so fast?" Preacher asked them.

"We caught a ride with the police," Emowyn answered and took a drink from her cup, "We walked after we reached the clearing."

"What's going on?" Erron asked.

"Well, long story short, we need some backup," Preacher started and looked through the both of them, "One old Ranger and two damn good gunslingers are all well an' good, but against the Crimson Lance it honsetly might not mean shit."

"But add two more Rangers to the mix an' we can do some damage," Auron said and looked through the three Rangers, "Ain't it a sayin', _'One riot, one Ranger?'_ What's that say for three?"

Emowyn and Erron looked at the just-turned seventeen year old boy skeptically. "How good are you under pressure, Auron?" Erron asked with a raised eyebrow.

The nearly seven foot tall boy gave a grin to the Ranger, "I can keep my head straight, if that's what you're askin'. I held my own against Pyrrha in the tournaments a while back. You know how damn good she is."

"Like I said, two damn good gunslingers," Preacher continued, "He was taught by the best fighter to never be a Hunter." He said and nodded toward Smoke.

Preacher was right. Smoke never truly became a Huntsman himself, having left Shade Academy in Vacuo years prior due to a heated disagreement with it's headmaster. It involved being severely cheated out of a tournament that was held by the headmaster, but was rigged to have his favored student look more capable than he was. The final fight ended prematurely to a chorus of boos and profane chants with Smoke's aura barely being under his opponent's and he was livid about it. He confronted the headmaster immediately after and knocked the man senseless with his hammer, then left with little word to anyone but his parents. The two were angry about it as well and paid his way to Mistral. He moved far away from Vacuo alone, took what he learned and expanded upon it himself, and taught his son what he knew. If his daughter had wanted it, he would've taught her as well.

 _'Only semblance of order in Vacuo my ass.'_ Smoke always said about Shade.

"Don't let the boy's age fool ya, he can fight like the devil if he's pushed." Smoke said, then they went back to the matter at hand.

"Alright. we'll take your word for it," Emowyn said to them, "First of all, we need to find out where their hideout is before we get ahead of ourselves," She brought out her scroll and projected a map of Smoke's property onto the table they surrounded, "Now, which direction did they come from?"

"How the hell do ya have a map of our land?" Auron asked in confusion.

"Oum, don't I teach you anything, boy?" Preacher asked and shook his head, "We got maps of _everywhere_. Just in case shit like this happens."

"Sorry, I guess I was too busy listinin' to you snorin' when you're here." Auron smirked at the old man.

"Aw shut up." Preacher grumbled and everyone laughed loudly, with the exception of the old man.

"Can we continue?" Smoke asked and looked around, seeing nods, "Alright. they came from the east side. They set off an explosion on the north side, but struck in force from the east." Smoke said as he pointed to the points he told Emowyn.

Erron pursed his lips in thought. "Hmm, so they're trying to confuse you with where they come from… The best lead we have is that they ultimately came from the east."

"Pretty much." Smoke replied.

"You might not like the suggestion I have." Emowyn said and drew everyones' attention.

"What would that be?" Preacher asked.

"Simple. We let them attack again. And then one of us can trail them back to their base," She suggested, then the room stayed silent. "It's your property, Smoke. Your decision."

He thought for a few moments as he took a long drink of his coffee. He set his cup down and sighed. "Alright, we'll let 'em attack again. Now, here's what I suggest we do. For the next day, four of us can set up defenses an' traps around the house an' the other will scout the area around the edge of the trees just in case they show up sooner than later. I think that Emowyn should scout it out, her semblance is better for that type o' thing,"

Emowyn's semblance allowed her to turn into a shadow, being able to infiltrate almost anywhere where there is darkness surrounding the area.

"I'm sure they got some o' their men to stay behind to scout us out," Smoke continued and looked to Emowyn, "I want you to take them out too, along with scoutin' for anyone else," He gestured around to everyone else, "The rest of us'll set the traps. Dust mines, spike pits, snares, anything like that. Then after they come here, Emowyn can follow 'em an' come back when she finds their base. For now, let's just get ready," Smoke turned back to Emowyn again, "In a few hours after you get rested, go out an' keep an eye on the Lance." He let his gaze fall to the table and shook his head.

"This is gonna be a long week."

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: And that's the first chapter of the Karmine Arc. And the introduction of three more Rangers. Preacher, Emowyn, and Erron. Also, for the Karmine family and Preacher, I took inspiration from another book series. The First /Last Mountain Man. If you like a good western that has action, then I can fully recommend them.**

 **See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	26. Chapter 25: You Want A War…?

**You Want A War…?**

An hour before dawn, Emowyn left in silence. She knew the plan and didn't need to be retold.

When she made her way out the door, the remaining four started to prepare for the Lance. They each took stock of ammunition and their equipment. Each person had at least one secondary weapon just in case they were disarmed. Smoke had a large knife on his side, Auron had his revolvers, Preacher had a bolt-action rifle on his back, Erron carried a longsword on his belt made with the same dust as _Frostbite's_ barrel and receiver, and Emowyn left with her bow and usual dual daggers.

As the others prepared, Emowyn quickly slipped out into the marshlands of Anima and into the fleeting shadows of the night. On the outskirts of the property she quickly and easily found a grunt nestled between two large bushes that took no care in masking his presence.

"Yes sir, there are still three of them at the house. The police captured the men that were left. Yes sir, I'll report anything that comes up."

The grunt turned his scroll off and sighed, then Emowyn moved in, sneaking silently through the dark shadows of the trees to crouch behind the ram Faunus.

When he went to stretch his limbs, Emowyn made her move and jumped forward at him. She wrapped her right arm around his throat and tossed him over her hip and to the ground, then pulled on her right hand with the opposite hand to pull her arm tighter. She torqued her body up while pulling his head, keeping his torso and legs pinned under her. He struggled at first, flailing his arms wildly, but her grip was too strong and his arms fell to the ground limply after a few moments. She let go of him and he dropped to the ground.

"So you don't know about us yet, good to know." She said as she searched his equipment. He only carried a basic meal for a nights watch and a pair of binoculars.

 _"Certainly should've thought to conceal himself,"_ Emowyn thought to herself, _"But… you can't really expect it from Faunus like them…"_

It wasn't long before the Faunus stirred himself, only for him to meet the point of a dagger to his throat.

"Talk. Now. Where are the other scouts." Emowyn ordered, obviously scaring the man senseless.

"Wha…? Wh-wh-who are you!?" The grunt stuttered, eyes wide in fear as they fell upon the very faintly glowing eyes in darkness the hood cast over Emowyn's face.

"No one you need to know. Answer the question." She ordered again as she pressed the blade a bit harder to the man's throat. This was obviously some lower tiered scout.

"Fine! Fine! I'll tell you!" As he agreed, Emowyn projected the map from her scroll into the ground, then had him point out the locations of the other scouts.

After he showed her what she needed, she knocked him out once more, tied his arms and feet, smashed his scroll, ruined his rations, then threw him in a bush. She quickly ghosted through the trees bordering the clearing, searching for the next three scouts. One by one she used her superior stealth and silenced them all, waiting until the last scout to question further.

As the female elephant Faunus, with long and curved tusks protruding from her jaw, opened her eyes, they met with Emowyn's own, along with her ears poking from the top of her hood.

"Why are you against us, sister?" The woman asked and was met with a shake of Emowyn's head.

"We _aren't_ sisters. I want nothing to do with you White Fang or Crimson Lance, whatever the hell you are," Emowyn glared coldly at the Faunus under her and scowled, "You will answer my questions-" She stopped to think for a moment, "Actually, you're coming with me." She finished as she knocked the Faunus out cold again, then slung her over her own shoulder to take back to Smoke's house.

* * *

As Auron was placing some metal over the front windows of the house, metal that he had gathered from the forest a month prior, he felt his father's hand on his shoulder.

"Take a break. Emowyn's back an' she's got one of the scouts." He said and turned to walk away.

"That was pretty fast." Auron remarked as he followed his father.

Everyone gathered at the front porch of the house as Emowyn arrived with the Crimson Lance scout. "New plan. We make her talk." She said as she arrived at the steps.

"Well shit, now we have to God damn babysit." Preacher muttered under his breath.

Emowyn smirked under her hood. "I heard that, Preacher." She replied as she stepped through the doorway.

"Can't say anything to my damn self, can I?" He retorted and followed her through the door.

The first thing they had done was remove the mask from the scout and laid it on a table in front of her. It was nearly an hour before the Faunus woke up to meet the five sets of eyes.

"Damned humans." She said under her breath.

"I heard that," Emowyn replied as she stepped forward, "Now, when do your friends plan to attack?"

The woman clearly looked distressed at the fact Emowyn was there. "Why are you helping these humans? Why not put your skills to good use and fight with _us_?" She pleaded with the Ranger.

"I put them to better use," Emowyn replied in annoyance, "I fight for the good of Remnant, Faunus _and_ human. Not for a short-sighted woman that uses extreme violence to work towards the genocide of an entire race. Answer the question." She stared straight into the Faunus' eyes as she glared back at her.

"Soon enough, traitor." She replied coldly, then held her head down.

Emowyn chuckled at that. "I can't be a traitor if I was never part of them."

"I say waterboardin'." Preacher said suddenly, causing the scout to bolt her head up.

Emowyn looked back to him with a look of shock across her face. "Preacher!" She yelled, but smirked when she faced away from the prisoner, knowing what Preacher was going for.

Erron took the next suggestion. "Burning-hot coals might do her some good." That had little effect on her as she let out a short breath.

Auron caught on quickly and turned to his father. "Oh, hey dad. You remember that nightmare I had a long time ago? The one that caused mom to get me a dreamcatcher?"

Smoke thought for a moment, then shook his head with a small grin. "Don't believe I recall. What was it?"

"Oh dust, it was bad. I think I was eleven when I had it. I was in a dark room, strapped in a chair an' alone. Then some stuff started movin' on its own, like needles, bottles of chemicals, pliers, shit like that. Then the needles got jammed under my fingertips, every one of 'em. They got slowly pried up an'… damn, that was just horrible," Auron said and he cringed at the thought, "Don't even get me started on the saw an' my teeth… Can you imagine how that would feel on tusks?"

Those last words had an effect on the Faunus woman, who looked around at everyone with a heated glare before her eyes fell on the only other Faunus in the room, obviously she wasn't a fan of what her friends were suggesting.

"You would fall to such barbaric methods for them!?" She asked in disbelief.

After a short moment of silence, Emowyn turned to the captured scout. "I'm sorry about them. I don't know if I could stop them if they wanted to." She said to her, causing the Faunus to glare hard towards her.

"You're all going to-"

"What are those tusks made out of?" Smoke asked suddenly, catching the Faunus off guard.

"Are you ignorant to an elephant's anatomy, human?" They're made of ivory." The scout answered harshly.

"I wouldn't call him ignorant." Auron warned her.

"And what is he going to do, boy?" She asked in a condescending tone, "My brothers and-"

"Enough o' your shit!" Smoke boomed in a commanding voice, causing her to flinch. "How about this? I got a grinder in my shed an' my knife might need a new handle. Ivory might just do the job," He said lowly and looked straight into her eyes while she looked to him in horror.

Emowyn knew where Smoke was going with this, and it even made her blood run a bit colder at the thought.

"If you don't tell us when the next attack is comin', I will take your tusks off myself an' I'll use 'em for somethin' that's actually worth a damn. Then you'll have to go back to your superiors with no Faunus trait visible, or your precious little mask," Smoke finished as the scout looked to them with wide and fearful eyes.

"It's your choice, I suggest you tell us. Now."

"Today is S-Sunday… It should be the end of the week… unless the plans change." She said as she held her head down in defeat. She didn't want to take the chance and risk her pride.

"That's all we need to know. What're we gonna do with her now?" Smoke asked around the room.

"We can discuss it outside, leave her alone for a bit." Emowyn said and they made their way out of the room.

As they gathered on the front porch, they each took a seat at the table on the side. "We're not letting her go. She'll just run back to the Lance." Erron said as he crossed his arms.

"As much as I hate for a Crimson Lance grunt to be in the house with us, I gotta agree." Preacher replied as he brought a flask from his cloak.

"Whiskey?" Auron asked him.

"Naw, I stay away from the stuff since I nearly killed a man for bumpin' into me while I was buzzed," Preacher replied and took a drink of it. It certainly smelled like whiskey to Auron, or something nearly as strong. "That was maybe thirty-five years ago. Before I joined the Rangers. It's my own coffee. As much as I like yours, Smoke, I just like this better. More kick," Preacher chuckled silently and turned to Auron, "Wanna try?"

Auron looked at Preacher skeptically, then held his hand out. "Yeah sure, how bad can it be?" He said as Preacher handed him the flask.

Everyone looked at Auron with amused expressions, Smoke held his hand over his mouth to keep himself from laughing. "Don't see what's so interestin' about this." Auron muttered under his breath, then took a drink from the flask.

It wasn't even a second before his small mouthful was all over the ground in front of them and everyone broke out laughing.

"Good fuckin' Oum what the hell is that!?" Auron asked and started coughing heavily.

"Watch your damn mouth, boy." Smoke said jokingly through mirth-filled laughter.

"Seriously!? What is that, Preacher!?" Auron asked again after his fit.

"Oh come on, boy! It's just the coffee I learned to make from Bartholomew Oobleck awhile back!" Preacher explained with a smile before he took a drink.

Erron controlled his laughing enough to speak. "Isn't it rumored that he laces his coffee with dust?"

"Just a rumor. I'm sure he wouldn't want me givin' out his recipe," Preacher replied and put his flask up, "Now get yourself together Auron! We gotta finish preparin' for the Lance!"

"Bite me, old man!" Auron replied as he started to walk into the house for water.

"Damn, that was a good laugh," Smoke took control of himself and nodded in agreement to Preacher. "Alright, since their plans might change, they could attack sooner than we think. Especially if their scouts ain't comin' back. I want someone up on the roof or in the attic to watch for 'em. Erron, you got a scope for your rifle?" Smoke turned asked the Ranger.

"Yeah I do. They shouldn't be able to spot me. I'll go with the attic. I'll need to set up a sniper's nest too." The red-eyed man replied.

"I'll handle that. If what Emowyn said is right, then they only think its me, Auron, an' Preacher that's here. We got that goin' for us, we can't let it be wasted." Smoke said and went to gather supplies.

Emowyn thought of something and started laughing to herself, drawing a confused stare from Preacher. "What's gotten into you?" He asked her with a raised eyebrow.

"If Raine was here we wouldn't need a scope. Her semblance would be perfect for this." She said and smiled.

"Oh yeah, how's she doing anyways? I haven't seen her since the Gathering two years ago with you, Halt, and Gilan." Erron said as he started to attach his scope to his rifle.

"Her training's going well. Last I heard, she's on her way to the Gathering with dad now. Then she'll be on her way to Beacon." Emowyn replied, smiling to herself with pride.

"That's good to hear," Preacher said to her before turning to Auron, who just walked back outside. "Where do you plan on goin'?"

Auron took a few moments to think on his answer and drink his water. "I ain't goin' to Shade, no way in hell especially with what dad told me about it back then. Wouldn't wanna go there too bad anyways. Atlas _might_ be a place to go, but all that military protocol that I heard so much about ain't somethin' I'm too interested in. Haven's the one I know the most about, an' I'd wanna see if I can have another match with Pyrrha sometime. But after this… Beacon might be my best bet. I might just send my transcripts over there when I got the time." Auron laid out his options and thought on it more. If he stayed in Mistral and attended Haven, then that could give the Crimson Lance an opportunity to strike while they were separated. But the same could be said for Beacon as well. Then again, his family could also move to Vale with him. It was possible with the money they had saved up, but Auron just didn't know what to do.

* * *

It wasn't even two hours later when Smoke finished the sniper's nest for Erron in the attic. It was small and simple. Where it was inside, the weather and the sun couldn't bother him, and where sheets were set up over the window, it provided him cover from sight, so he didn't need to be burdened by his cloak. All around the window was lined with heavy metal plating in case of any return fire.

"Looks good, Smoke. I guess I'll get comfortable." Erron said as he looked over to it. He made his way over to the nest and sat in the low seat, then started to look through his scope as his rifle rested on the window sill. He knew that his weapon wasn't great for longer range engagements, but it was the only thing he had at the moment. He truly was the best man out of them for it, though. With his semblance, he could see others' auras highlighted in his eyes when he put a great amount of his own to them.

Thirty minutes later, the near-dead silence was broken by Preacher. "Hey Erron! Get your ass down here! Smoke's got somethin' for ya!" He called and caused Erron to roll his eyes at how loud the old man tended to be, despite being a veteran Ranger.

When he made his way downstairs, Erron could see the reason for the call. Smoke had brought out a large caliber rifle from his storage and was dusting it off. "Erron, this could be more useful to you. It's my old rifle, probably better for longer range crap like what you're doin'. I ain't got a silencer for it so you'll have to make due." Smoke said as he handed the gun to Erron.

As he looked it over, he nodded in satisfaction before he brought out a spare silencer from his pack. "I'm glad I made these interchangeable. Thanks Smoke." He said as he turned to go back to the attic.

"We need every advantage we can get, don't mention it." Smoke said as they dispersed.

* * *

"Hey dad, how do you think mom's doin' back in the city?" Auron asked when they had a moment alone.

"Last I heard, she was finally gettin' better. Poison's completely outta her system an' she's recoverin'. I wish I could've killed that Faunus sooner." Smoke replied and closed his eyes at the memory.

"I'm glad she's doin' good now. Hopefully we can end this soon so we can see her again."

"Me too son. Me too." Smoke said to himself.

Auron smiled a bit. "I'll be sure to make her some food. I'm sure she'd appreciate somethin' homemade."

Smake grinned and nodded. "She would. 'Specially if you make it yourself." He said, then went inside to make ammunition.

Auron turned around and sighed to himself as he walked out the door. He had a lot to think about. His mother, his father, his old friend, the two Rangers who are risking themselves for them, his own direction in life, and where he wanted that direction to lead him.

As he leaned against the railing of the porch, he put his head in his hands and closed his eyes. He had to do what was necessary to survive this fight, to make sure the others survived, even if it meant ruthless aggression to achieve that. Up until this point, even after what they had done to his mother, Auron always tried to spare their attackers by knocking them out, rather than kill. He knew that if he kept showing that small bit of mercy to people like the Crimson Lance, then it could get himself and everyone there killed.

If he let his father die because of that mercy, it could tear his mother's heart to pieces and he wouldn't bear to see her like that. If he let Preacher die because of that mercy, he and his father would lose their closest friend and it would haunt them for their lives. If he let Emowyn and Erron die because of that mercy, the two people that are willing to help them put an end to this, he would never be able to forgive himself.

So he took his hands, held them together, and prayed. He had never been very religious, his parents always respected that, but now he prayed for the Gods to hear him out. "Oum… I'm sorry for what I'm about to do. Sorry for waitin' until now to talk to ya. I know I ain't been one for religion an' I know I haven't even tried. But I'm gonna ask one thing… Give all of us here the strength to make it outta this… I wanna see mom again an' I know dad does too… I hope you can forgive me for what I gotta do." Auron stood for several moments in his silent prayer, then put his hands down.

"I'll do whatever it takes… whatever it takes to make sure we make it out of this." He said to himself and turned toward the door, to go help his father in making the ammunition.

* * *

As the gunslingers worked on the ammo for everyone, Preacher went to talk to Erron with a bit of guilt plaguing his mind.

"Hey Erron, got a minute?" He asked.

"Yeah, sure. What do you need?" Erron responded as he turned around.

"I just want you to know I ain't forcin' you both to be here." Preacher said to him with a grim expression.

"No, I know you're not and we're not going to leave. You asked for help and I'm not going to abandon you or your old friends. You have my word."

Preacher smiled to the red-eyed man and nodded. "You're a good kid, Erron. I want you to leave your scroll on at all times. Call an' tell us if you see anything out there." He said before he left Erron to his watch.

"Wouldn't miss fighting with you for the world, Preacher." Erron said to himself as he settled back into the nest.

* * *

Emowyn stood alone outside the room with the prisoner. She didn't like the fact that the Faunus had called her 'sister,' just because she was a Faunus herself. The only sister she had was Raine, her sister by blood and apprentice Ranger who was now on her way to the Gathering with their father. Emowyn smiled at the thought and stepped outside to call her sister.

"How's it going sis?" Raine asked excitedly.

"As well as it could be. How's that rifle of yours working?" Emowyn asked with a smile.

"Really great. I've gotten so good with it now. The sword comes put perfectly and the bolt dust barrel works great still." Raine replied happily.

"What about _Amaranth_?"

"Don't worry. I'm not ignoring it. Dad says I've been getting better and better with them both."

"That's good to hear sis…" Emowyn sighed sadly. "I might not be able to make it to the Gathering this year."

"What's wrong?" The apprentice asked with worry.

"Me, Erron, and Preacher are dealing with the White Fang somewhere on Anima. We don't know how long it's gonna take. I already called Remington and told him this morning, I want you to let dad and uncle Gil know. Stay safe, sis. Love you."

"I'll tell them, we love you too Em," Raine replied and the silence hung in the air for a few moments. "Hey, can you ask Erron to make me a silencer for _Shagahod_?" She asked.

"After this is over with, I will. I'm gonna go ahead and go. Talk to you later, sis."

"Later. Stay safe." Raine replied and they ended the call.

After standing for a few moments to think to herself, Emowyn headed back inside to look over her weapons.

* * *

The traps were set and the preparations were complete. The next few days would see Smoke and Auron creating as much ammunition as their dust-crystal supplies would let them. Ranging from large to small caliber, red to blue, and anything in between. Other than ammunition production, everything was set and all the five defenders had to do was wait.

And Auron's nervousness just made the wait all the longer.

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: The stage is set for war now. Auron is finding out that the waiting is the worst part.**

 **See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	27. Chapter 26: All Nightmare Long

**All Nightmare Long**

The week went by very slowly. Nothing had happened the whole week since the two Rangers arrived. Every day, Auron took _Last Call_ apart and made sure nothing was damaged, both out of nervousness and for something to do.

It was twelve-forty five and Erron's watch was almost over for Thursday night when he saw something's aura move in the tree lines. It was a faint movement, he started to think it was an animal of some kind before another outline moved next to the first. Then another, and another before more and more started to fill his sight.

 _"Thank Oum the moon's out."_ He thought to himself.

He used his free hand to call Smoke on his scroll. "They're here. Get ready." He warned.

"Start shootin' when you want to. I'm settin' up a group call to keep in contact. Good luck up there." Smoke said before Erron heard him call for the others to join him.

At first, he counted them as they stepped from the treeline, nearly fifty so far. Then around twenty more just behind them, then it equalled one hundred before long.

"Smoke, I'm counting about a hundred for now." Erron prepared himself and pulled the scope to the man in the lead of the force. Smoke was able to find five spare magazines for the rifle he lent Erron to use, each had ten shots in them.

"Show time." Erron said to himself as he set the sights on the man, then pulled the trigger.

* * *

"Auron! Preacher! Emowyn! Get to the livin' room! **NOW**!" Smoke called out with authority and the three ran to the room quickly. They were each prepared, and Auron was filled with his new resolve.

"Erron says it's time. We're doin' a group call so we can keep in contact out there. Emowyn, if you need more cover, call for Auron. He'll handle it. You'll see what I mean if it comes to it. We'll try to keep 'em at a distance an' when they get close, we'll get 'em with our close-quarters weapons. I ain't gonna stress this enough, but be careful out there. This is gonna be a slow-burn through the night." He finished when he started to hear return fire from the Crimson Lance outside.

Smoke threw on his old cowboy hat as each person checked their weapons one more time before they entered the fight.

Auron looked over his two double barreled revolvers and _Last Call_ , making sure the cylinders in his pistols spun smoothly and _Last Call_ had no troubles in loading shells or transforming.

Smoke did the same with _Jackhammer_ , and made sure he had the chambers filled.

Emowyn tugged on the whipcord string of _Firefly_ and pulled her arrows from her quiver, making sure they were undamaged.

Lastly, Preacher looked over every small inch of _Bear Tooth_ , from cylinder to blade, and holstered it. He then pulled out his bolt-action rifle and fed a dust round into it. "They're still expectin' three, right? Let's show the bastards how wrong they are, and give 'em some burnin' hell!" He called out and Smoke led them out the door.

When he stepped out, a bullet went by his head and planted itself in the wooden wall of the house.

"Rude." He said before he returned fire and took a man's leg from under him.

They could see the numbers that Erron warned them of and each dove behind different cover points they had set up. Smoke peeked over his cover right before an explosion went off on the north side of the house, shaking everything around them.

"They found the mines. Good." He said to himself as he saw two Faunus fall into a spike pit.

The mines were the volatile burn dust crystals that Smoke had molded and prepared with utmost care and buried in the murky waters and mud around the north side of the house. The results were definitely positive on the question of 'if they work.'

He started firing his rifle into the coming army, taking down four before he reloaded _Jackhammer_. Auron had more success with his rifle with it holding double the amount that Smoke's weapon had. Auron was able to bring eight of the Crimson Lance down with his twelve rounds before he reloaded. Preacher and Emowyn had more luck with their takedowns, having trained themselves extensively in accuracy. Their cloaks made them shimmer in and out of vision, making the two Rangers very difficult to hit by the Lance. Emowyn emptied her quiver of twelve arrows with pinpoint precision before she focused her aura into her hand and recalled her arrows to her.

The traps were catching more Faunus by surprise and more explosions shook the foundations from the north side.

Half an hour later and fifty soldiers down, the traps were exhausted completely, leaving the Crimson Lance able to run by and try to close in, making their shots more accurate but in turn making the defenders' attacks just the same.

"Auron! We need some o' that cover now!" Preacher called out and blasted his rifle toward the Lance.

Auron heard the call through his scroll and turned his rifle into its sword form. He stabbed his sword into the ground and reared his fist back. He punched into the ground, creating a thick wall of dust-metal in front of Preacher and Emowyn.

"Is that your semblance!?" Emowyn yelled over the gunfire.

"Yeah! It ain't gonna last forever, now fight!" Auron yelled in return and fired into the Lance once more.

Another thirty minutes more into the fight and close to forty more Crimson Lance soldiers were laying on the ground, either dead or unconscious. It was closer quarters now, forcing the defenders to switch weapons to pistols or blades. Smoke transformed _Jackhammer_ and charged from cover, running toward a small group of surprised enemies that broke from the main force.

Preacher quickly brought out his revolver and activated his own semblance, creating an exact copy of _Bear Tooth_ in his left hand, and placed precise shots toward the chests of the attackers, then engaged in melee with a couple of men that made it past his bullets.

Auron stomped the ground, sending his aura through his foot and causing three small metal pillars to rise, then he punched all three of them to send them crashing into the oncoming soldiers. He pulled a revolver from its holster, then followed the pillars into the fight.

Emowyn was forced to drop her bow quickly and draw her daggers. She quickly jumped and kicked a grunt into three others, then started to slash and stab in a flurry of motion. One tried for an overhand strike with his sword and Emowyn crossed her blades, catching the sword easily. She directed it to her left side and spun around, lifting her right leg and kicking the Faunus in the side of the head, knocking him out.

"They're slowing down now, this looks like the last of them!" Erron called through his scroll as he picked off the last of the Crimson Lance coming from the forest and laid the heavy rifle down. He picked _Frostbite_ up from where it leaned and stood outside the window, then started shooting rapidly, trading accuracy for speed until his magazine was empty, taking down fifteen with its twenty round magazine. He dropped his gun back inside and pulled his cold longsword from his belt, then jumped from the window. He landed on the shoulders of someone and knocked him to the ground. Erron quickly silenced the man and went to join the others in the battle.

"Joining us Erron?" Emowyn called out to her partner.

"Exhausted the ammo in the rifle," Erron replied as he took down a soldier, "I took out all that I could."

"We'll that's fine an' dandy. How's everyone holdin' up?" Smoke called as he smashed a soldier into another small group with _Jackhammer_. Another came from behind and struck him across the back, drawing a shallow gash from the surprise. Smoke turned around instantly and sent his hammer sailing into his attacker's side, sending her flying away, then he swung at another grunt's legs, toppling him over and sending his head straight to the ground.

"I'm as good as I can be." Emowyn answered. She jumped and kicked off of a grunts chest, propelling herself backward as her opponent flew the opposite direction. She landed and ran forward towards them again. She dove forward into a handspring as she drew her knees up to her chest, then she kicked hard into one's chest as she sent aura to her boots, activating the air dust in them and sending the woman flying.

"Right as rain for now." Preacher followed before he dodged a sword swing from a large ox Faunus, then put three shots from each revolver in the man's gut.

"Took a hit in my knee, but I'm good. Just gettin' a bit tired is all." Auron called back as he switched his revolver to his full-chambered one. He gathered his aura through his left arm and swung his blade in a downward arc, making the blade bite into the ground. The earth in front of him erupted in a shockwave of metallic dust toward the Crimson Lance, taking most of them to the ground. From there, it seemed the Lance were backing down and retreating from the assault.

"Let's regroup. We don't know how long this break'll last." Smoke said through his scroll.

Emowyn quickly found her bow and placed it on her back, called her arrows back, then walked toward Smoke. Erron gathered his aura to his legs, activating the air dust in his boots, and jumped up to the window of the attic to retrieve his rifle, then joined Smoke and the others.

Auron limped over toward them, having taken a bad hit in his right knee that made it past his aura, then planted his sword on the ground and leaned on it. Preacher arrived shortly after, reloading his rifle along the way.

"You alright, son?" Smoke asked when he noticed Auron's knee.

"I'm good I think. Adrenaline's wearin' down an' it hurts like a bitch. Damn, I have an idea real quick," Auron said before he pressed his palm into the ground and brought up metal chairs for them to sit in. "Since they ain't gettin' shot, these should stay up for awhile." Erron took the seat facing the forest, looking through his scope and using his semblance to keep scanning for the enemy.

"Good thinkin' Auron, I'm about too old for all this." Preacher said as he took his seat and leaned back without a care in the world.

Auron slowly took his seat and ripped off the torn lower leg of his right pant-leg. He took to cleaning it himself as Emowyn brought out her first-aid kit.

"You sure you're alright, Auron?" Smoke asked again, the concern for his son showing in his voice.

"Yeah, I just need a bit. Don't worry." Auron replied as he kept wiping the blood from his knee and cleaned out the gash, saving his remaining aura for battle.

"Are _you_ good?" Preacher asked as he glanced at Smoke's back and saw the wound.

"Eh, just a scratch." Smoke replied.

"God damn it, sit down an' turn around," Preacher ordered and stood from his seat. "If Kathy sees that gash, she'll knock the shit outta me, you, an' Auron."

Smoke groaned as he tore the rest of his shirt off and turned around in his seat. "You got me there." Preacher worked with cleaning and stopping the blood from the wound.

Erron was still scanning the tree line through his scope when he spoke. "Smoke and Preacher were right. You did well. You have an impressive semblance." He nodded to the Huntsman-in-training.

"I told you he was trained by one of the best." Preacher interjected as he started to rub disinfectant on Smoke's wound.

"How is it that those walls stay up like that?" Emowyn asked.

Auron winced as she rubbed a disinfectant over the gash on his knee. "I send my aura through the ground an' it hardens the dirt or concrete an' turns it to metal. When the wall comes up, it still has some aura in it that keeps it from breakin' an' it lasts until it loses that aura."

"That's a good semblance for the situation we're in." Erron remarked.

"On top o' that, I could send myself or someone else flyin' with a platform of it. That'll probably help with bein' a Huntsman."

Emowyn wrapped Auron's knee with light bandages for the time-being. "Sounds like it would."

"Hell of a way I discovered it an' it was funny as hell, too."

"And how did you discover it?" Erron asked.

Preacher laughed loudly as he finished with Smoke's back, closing it with a type of adhesive for wounds like his. He say down and brought his flask from his cloak. "He was exercisin' an' doin' jumpin' jacks. He hit the ground after one an' his aura got sent from his legs an' a pillar sent 'im flyin' into the air. It was fuckin' hilarious!" He explained and laughed even more before he drank from his coffee.

"Sad thing is he ain't talkin' out his ass." Auron grinned.

"That _is_ a hell of a way to discover it." Emowyn remarked.

"You know dad, I never actually seen you use your semblance. Or yours, Preacher. What do they do?" Auron asked the two oldest men there.

"I don't spew out sermons, if that's what you're askin'," Preacher said with a laugh, causing the others to chuckle as well, "Well, that was only one time years ago."

"Is that a story you'd want to share?" Erron asked and cocked an eyebrow.

The old Ranger shrugged his shoulders. "Got in a mess with some organized crime assholes in Old Mantle back when I was assigned as a secondary in Solitas. They had me tied up, an' I just started yellin' out religious nonsense, none o' what I said made any sense to 'em an' they left me alone mostly. Turns out, one of the other Rangers was scoutin' out the place. He was a dog Faunus, had these long, floppy ears,"

"Anyway, he heard me yellin' through a warehouse door an' he went to see what was happenin', then he took down all the people that was watchin' me an' got me outta there. That's what he called me an' that's what I've been known as since." Preacher grinned at the memory and laughed.

"I don't even know his real name." Smoke commented.

"Hell, I don't even _remember_ my real name." Preaher laughed again.

"So, you were yellin' a lot? How the hell'd you get so far as a Ranger?" Auron asked and shook his head.

"I was about twenty back then, shut up," Preacher replied and brought out his revolver, "Now, let me show ya my semblance."

He activated his semblance, making another copy of _Bear Tooth_. "Any weapon I put my own aura into, I can make a copy of. It's pretty damn useful." He said and dematerialized the copy, then took to reloading his pistol.

"Can you do that with any weapon?" Auron asked.

"Kinda. Let's say if I just passed my aura through _Last Call_ there an' I used my semblance, it wouldn't last that long. But with _Bear Tooth_ here, I can keep my aura goin' through it an' I can keep the copy out as long as I got my aura an' ammo." Preacher explained.

"What about yours dad?" Auron asked but before Smoke could answer, Erron spoke up in a worried voice.

"Spider Tanks!" He said and they each prepared themselves.

"You're about to damn see." Smoke said as he brought out the hammer form of _Jackhammer_ and Emowyn pulled special arrows from her secondary quiver, more powerful dust enhanced arrows. Along with her normal broadhead arrows, she had ice-tipped, bolt-tipped, and volatile burn-crystal tipped arrows. Erron looked for any weak spots in the Spider Tanks' armor and found them.

"Aim for the joints." He said to the group.

Preacher stayed in his chair and took another drink from his coffee. "I fuckin' swear…" He said before he stood and pulled his revolver again.

Auron was the last to stand, keeping the weight off his right knee as much as he could as he readied his sword. The first tank was fifty yards from them now and Smoke started running toward it.

"Auron! Boost!" He called back and Auron gathered his energy and punched the ground, creating a moving platform of metal that propelled Smoke forward through the air.

As he was flying towards it, the tank shot its left cannon at him. He dissipated into black and gray smoke as the shell hit his body. He formed from the smoke behind the mech and readied a swing toward one of its legs. His strike was propelled forward with the force of a metal pillar, thanks to Auron, that sent _Jackhammer_ into the Spider's leg joint with such force that it shattered and it fell to the ground out of balance.

As it struggled to rise and strike at Smoke, Auron sent his father toward the sky with another platform. Smoke's warhammer came crashing down onto the cockpit of the tank, smashing through it and its pilot, taking it out of the fight.

With that tank taken care of, the other blasted both its cannons toward Smoke. Auron sent up a thick wall of metal and protected his father from the exploding shells. The wall fell quickly and Smoke dashed through the dust. The tank readied its shoulder cannons and they started glowing along with the red on its body. It launched the beam and Smoke dodged to the left, the beam creating a long, deep trench in the ground, then he started running full sprint toward it. The pilot tried to blast the tank's artillery weapons at him, four huge machine guns that had been modified onto it by the Lance, but Auron launched him high into the air and toward it. The machine's shoulder cannons started to light up again and aim toward Smoke, but not in time. Smoke swung his hammer, powered by the momentum of his fall, and the head slammed into the cannon and blasted it to pieces.

As the tank recovered from the attack, it was pelted with icy blasts from Erron's rifle. The dust hit the joints of the machine and started to freeze them in place. The next thing to hit it was a specially crafted ice crystal arrow that hit it in the front left leg, freezing it to the muddy ground and water. Then, more arrows to the other legs did the same. With the mech immobilized, Emowyn switched arrows, pulling out the volatile burn-crystal arrows and took aim with one.

She released the string and the arrow soared through the air toward the frozen mech. The pilot tried to block the shining arrow with the Spider Tank's arm, but it was blown off with the explosion hitting its joint. Another arrow was already on its way and he tried the same with the opposite arm, but with the same result. The third and final arrow finished it. With no defenses left, the pilot vacated the cockpit but was too late as the arrow hit the core of the tank and exploded the whole thing to bits, leaving nothing left but small pieces.

The Crimson Lance that were coming back from the forest stopped in their tracks when they witnessed the systematic destruction of their stolen war machines. After a full minute of shocked silence, they ran, retreating for good this time.

Smoke made his way back to the group with _Jackhammer_ resting on his shoulder. "Preacher, you decided to sit out?" He grinned at the old man.

"Yeah, you young shits had it handled so I took a break." Preacher replied and took another drink from his flask.

"So that's your semblance, huh?" Auron asked as he kneeled on the ground from the exertion of aura and energy.

"I ain't called 'Smoke' for nothin'. I got that nickname when I first used it an' I've been called that ever since. So I just started going by that myself, rather than Jeff." Smoke explained as he stood next to him.

"So that's why you're called that, I shoulda figured it'd have somethin' to do with that," Auron replied, then shook his head, "But why's it black and gray?"

Smoke merely shrugged at the question. "It has somethin' to do with my hair. It used to be completely black when I was your age." He replied and then yawned.

"I think that's it for the Lance. For now at least. I'm gonna go get ready to follow them." Emowyn said and headed toward the house.

The rest followed soon after with Erron helping Auron to one of the couches in the living room.

"We'll eat somethin' before you go, then I'll get some food an' water for you to take with you. We don't know how long it'll take to find 'em." Smoke said to Emowyn as they entered the house.

"It'll likely be a few days at most. I think seeing their Spider Tanks get destroyed demoralized them a good amount." Emowyn said as Smoke went to prepare a meal for them all.

* * *

It was almost dawn after all the fighting and when everyone settled down and ate.

"Emowyn, when you come back, we'll be ready to get after 'em unless Auron's knee ain't healed up enough." Smoke said as they finished the meal.

"I would want to get some sleep, but I need to catch up to them before they get too far." Emowyn replied as she went to rise.

"I'll pack you some jerky an' some water real quick. I'm gonna give you a flask of coffee too, may help keep you awake out there." Smoke said as the two made their way to the kitchen. The jerky was from the batch Auron had made recently, considering he and his father had eaten the batch that Kathy had made a couple months prior.

A few minutes later and Emowyn was set to leave. "I'll be back as soon as I can. See you then." She said before she walked out the door and went towards the forest.

Auron's knee was pulsing with pain as the bloody bandages were removed and the wound was stitched up finally. It was cleaned once more and wrapped in a thicker bandage, then Auron was stuck to the couch for the time-being.

"This is gonna suck." He said to himself as he closed his eyes.

"We need to get the police here to get all of 'em." Auron heard Smoke say.

"I almost forgot about that." The boy said as he sat back up on the couch.

"Don't worry about it, son. Me, Erron, an' Preacher'll handle it. You just get some rest." Smoke replied as he laid a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Well, I can't complain I guess. We gonna scrap those tanks for junk if they don't take 'em?" Auron asked as he laid back down.

"If they don't, then we will. Now try to sleep." Smoke replied before he walked outside with Preacher and Erron. It wasn't even a minute until Auron closed his eyes and drifted to sleep.

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: You don't _fuck_ with Rangers.**

 **The next chapter will span a few days with the perspective switching back and forth. It'll be interesting to see what happens, in my opinion at least.**

 **I'm not even gonna say how much I made the mistake of writing Jace's name instead of Auron's when I first wrote these chapters. I confused myself a lot.**

 **There's three more chapters to this arc and then it's back to the present. See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	28. Chapter 27: Recon and Recovery

**Recon and Recovery**

Emowyn caught up to the group of Faunus the next night, using the speed she kept from tracking them alone. They had covered quite a distance while running and were stopped for a long rest when she caught up to them.

They were talking about something but Emowyn couldn't hear anything clearly from her distance, even with her advanced hearing. She used her semblance and ghosted into the small campsite as a shadow. When she was close enough to hear them clearly, she laid prone on the ground and blended back into reality, trusting in her cloak to keep her concealed.

"We're supposed to get back as soon as we can. The facility on Sanus was attacked by Grimm and two prisoners escaped. We're supposed to pull out and go track them down." One of them explained to the group, a male bird Faunus with feathers on his head instead of hair.

"So we're abandoning the mission here? What about those humans? They can't keep that knowledge to themselves." A female dog Faunus replied while her tail hung low, obviously frustrated with how the attack turned out.

"We're not abandoning the mission!" The bird snapped at her, "Two escaped experiments are a higher priority than the humans at that house!" He said to her, then another one spoke, a deer Faunus with ten-point antlers on his head.

"Listen, they aren't going anywhere. We can come back here any time and finish this. For now, we need to follow orders." He said and calmed the two down.

They went to sleep soon after and Emowyn quietly snuck out of the camp and backtracked a small ways away. She took a piece of the jerky Smoke gave her and ate it, then washed it down with a short drink of water. Shortly afterwards, she rolled herself up in her long cloak and fell asleep behind some bushes.

* * *

When Auron woke up, the soreness of his knee was already a pain in his ass. His eyes fluttered open and he squinted as the sun shined through the window and onto his face. He moved to get up and placed his foot on the ground, then tried to stand. He felt the pain shoot through his knee and he yelped in response as he fell back to the couch.

"You alright boy!?" He heard Preacher call from the porch.

"Yeah, just didn't expect my knee to hurt this bad!" Auron called back as Smoke stepped from the kitchen.

"Start puttin' your aura into it more. Come out on the porch when you can." Smoke said as he handed his son a cup of coffee.

Auron took it and nodded, then focused his aura to his knee. After several minutes of gently moving his knee and leg, he stood up carefully and limped outside.

He quickly found a chair and sat in it, setting his coffee on the table as he did so.

"How's your knee?" Preacher asked as he got settled into the chair.

Auron shook his head. "Hurts like hell. When should I change the bandage?" He asked as he noticed the medical supplies on the table.

Smoke shrugged and looked at him. "Have at it. It should've healed a good bit considerin' how long you were out." He said, causing the young boy's face to twist in confusion.

"And how long _has_ it been?"

"All day an' all night since you laid on the couch." His father replied before Auron took the bandages off.

"That long? Dust." Auron said and shook his head.

"Yeah, an' people call me lazy." Preacher said with a laugh.

* * *

It took another day and a half of following the group of Crimson Lance to make it to the hideout. As Emowyn stared at the buildings and broken down walls, it looked like an old military outpost from the Great War. She watched the group enter the base and she snuck inside, using her semblance to settle in the shadows in between two buildings as she saw some human man addressing the Faunus assembled in the middle of the base. He was six feet and three inches tall. He wore black, sleevless robes that disguised his weight and showed dark tattoos on his arms and hands, his hair was thick and reached his chest, and he had black marks around his face and red eyes.

He was flanked by three men that towered over him at seven feet in height. They each had large metal clubs as weapons and looked through the Faunus silently as their own leader spoke. One of them had short black hair and eyes that seemed like they weren't focused on anything and just stared through them, sometimes focusing on one soldier with a withering gaze before he moved his gaze on. He wore black jeans, a white tank top and one black gauntlet on his right hand. Another had bright red hair that reached just below his chin and wore a white, full-face Grimm mask along with his white and black chest armor and black pants. Horns of a goat stuck out from the top of his head. The last one was slightly taller than the other two and wore a black, full-face Grimm mask with red markings. He was completely bald and wore light-brown cargo pants and a tight black shirt with armored shoulders, each spaulder had a few leather straps hanging off of them.

Emowyn noticed that the other one without a mask had red eyes as well and also had black markings around his eyes. She looked at them and started to pay attention to what the leader was saying.

"You have seen my power first hand! I am no mere _being_ and you all saw! Understand that what I say is the truth! Salvation is at hand! And my mistress will deliver her will upon these Kingdoms that have done you all so wrong!" He lowered his deep and oddly captivating voice and spread his arms out wide, "Her judgement will bring you the revenge you so _desperately_ crave. Believe me when I say that humans are nothing but miserable little piles of lies and they deserve nothing more than to burn. Consider what I have told you today…" He started laughing hauntingly as he looked through all of the Faunus in front of him, "Your own survival may depend on it." The group of men took their leave and walked into the forest opposite of where the group of Faunus had entered.

Emowyn couldn't help but feel haunted by the man's words and she shook herself back to her senses. _"Just some cultist."_ She thought to herself as she saw the Crimson Lance leader and lieutenant exit the command post.

The leader was seven feet and six inches in height. He was a very muscular bear Faunus wearing a black Crimson Lance outfit with a full-face Nevermore mask. His trait was a small set of rounded bear ears on the top of his head.

The lieutenant, a bear Faunus as well, was an even more imposing sight. His trait was sheer size. He was a literal giant, standing at nine feet tall and had even more muscles than the leader. He looked built specifically to destroy. His outfit was vastly different from the others, having heavy black and red armor covering his legs and torso and heavy gauntlets on his large hands. His mask was also very different, it _was_ a full-face mask. It was cracked and broken in multiple places, with the area over the mouth broken off. Its color was pitch-black with blood-red claw swipes going diagonally across it. His hair was draped over the front of it, covering one eye. When he turned his head to the weary group of Faunus that had arrived, Emowyn could see that his head had been burned badly and his hair couldn't grow in that area anymore, leaving only the right side of his head with hair. His permanent scowl was apparent as they made their way over to the arrivals.

"Why do you return with nothing to show for it and two of our Spider Tanks destroyed!" The lieutenant yelled with his deep voice, seeming to roar with anger.

"Th-th-there were five of them sir…" The bird Faunus man said fearfully.

"And five worthless humans turned back over a hundred Crimson Lance and two Spiders!?" The lieutenant yelled back, causing all of the assembled soldiers to flinch.

"They had a sniper… and three of them were Rangers…" The deer of the group spoke now, his eyes cast to the ground in fear. "They knew we were coming and they had traps ready for us…" He continued, hoping not to be punished.

The lieutenant was visibly seething with rage as he started to bring out his large, two-handed, studded club. He held the black-metal weapon in his right hand and started to walk forward.

"Who was the leader of this force?"

The leader's words caused the giant to pause in his motion, much to the relief of the assembled group.

A horse Faunus stepped forward. "It was me, sir…" He said as he bowed in attention.

"Alright then. How many were there again? Five, you say?" The leader asked, and the group nodded slowly.

"And three were Rangers, but all were human?" He asked again, but the dog Faunus woman shook her head.

"One was a Faunus sir, a fox Faunus. I saw her ears when I was close." She said nervously.

The leader grunted at the news. "So one of our Faunus sisters are against us. Blind fool. She'll die with Karmine. That knowledge of theirs will help our cause a great deal. We will achieve our goal," He drew his massive blade from his back and held it in one hand, it was nearly as long as he is tall, and nearly one foot wide.

"You. Horse. Step forward." He said and the Faunus' blood ran cold. He knew what was coming and he slowly stepped forward as he was ordered.

"You failed in your mission. I cannot tolerate failure…" The leader said before he readied his sword and swung it toward the man. He screamed in pain, then fell silent shortly after as torso separated from his legs. The leader put his large sword on his back and started to speak again. "I _will_ not tolerate it."

As the assembled soldiers stared in shock, the leader called them all to attention. "Brothers and sisters of the Crimson Lance, hear my words!" He boomed and gained their undivided attention, "I have received word that Grigori, in his incompetence, allowed two prisoners to escape the facility near Mountain Glenn. Two worthless humans. They cannot be allowed to tell of our operations there. I'm splitting our forces and sending most of us to Vale, including myself. I'm leaving control of this base to Kain in my absence. We will gather who will go and send them off, then I will follow in seven days. Now, return to your posts."

The group quickly dispersed and Emowyn ghosted out of the base, taking the information with her.

"So, these people are part of those kidnappings too? And… what experiments?" She asked herself when she was a good distance away.

She had all details she needed from the base and started to make her way back to Smoke's home. She walked for a few hours until it was night time, then she took a short break. She ate a couple pieces of jerky and drank some coffee with it, then she took off, not wanting to waste any time in relaying the news to the others.

* * *

Everyone was giving their weapons well-needed maintenance when Smoke received a call.

"It's Emowyn," He said to everyone and went to answer.

"Did you find 'em?" Smoke asked immediately.

"Yeah, I did. They're holed up in an old military outpost from the war. They're about to split their force and head to Vale. Their leader said he'll follow in seven days after they leave. Something to do with experiments. I'll make it back as fast as I can, get things ready. How's Auron's leg?" She asked before the call was ended.

"He's walkin' on it better. Should be good in about another day. How long'll it take for you to get back?"

"Shouldn't be more than a day if I don't stop now. I'm gonna go. I'll be there as soon as I can." She answered and they ended the call.

"What did she find out?" Erron asked first.

"They're splittin' up and sending' a lot of 'em to Vale. She said it had somethin' to do with experiments an' their leader'll be headin' out in a week. We need to get ready to head out as soon as she gets back." Smoke said and went back to reassembling _Jackhammer_.

Auron looked down at his knee. It was still sore but it was fading fast. He kept the bandage off of it to give it some air before he put lighter wraps around the wound. "I'm guessin' they took the tank scraps?" He asked his father.

"Most of it. But we hid some around the house. I might use it for somethin', I don't know yet." Smoke replied as he put the cylinder back in his rifle.

"Maybe someone should wake Preacher up and tell him?" Erron said and grinned at the old man that was snoozing peacefully in his seat.

"Yeah probably." Smoke said and took a deep breath.

"Hey Preacher!" He yelled and smacked the old man's leg.

Preacher bolted awake quickly. "Dust! What the hell d'ya want!?" He yelled back as he looked around at everyone.

"Emowyn's on her way back. We need to get ready." Auron answered him.

"What'd she find out?"

"Damn it Preacher, stay awake next time…" Smoke started and began to tell him what Emowyn said.

* * *

Emowyn walked at a fast pace through the swampy forest, avoiding Grimm when she could and quickly putting down the ones she couldn't get by. It took her two and a half days to trail the Lance back to their base and she had already walked all night and half of this day, so she should make it back to the house in at least another day if she kept her pace and didn't sleep.

She started to think to herself. If she ran the rest of the way, she might make it in less than a day if she was lucky. With her conditioning, it was certainly possible to achieve. She paused for a moment, ate a piece of jerky and drank the last of the coffee, then she prepared to jog.

* * *

Auron's leg was finally healed for good. He woke up in his bed and he sat up, then inspected his knee. He moved it around to make sure it was truly healed, then stood up. He placed all of his weight on it and sighed in relief,

"Good, now I don't have that to worry about." He said to himself and went to change his clothes to a pair of blue jeans and a black muscle-shirt.

He threw on his brown duster and put his revolvers in their holsters, then grabbed _Last Call_ and walked outside.

"You're up early," Erron said as Auron walked outside, "I see your knee is better now."

"Yeah, it is. Everyone else still asleep?" Auron asked. Erron nodded his head and stared toward the forest.

"You worried about Emowyn?"

Erron glanced at Auron as he sat down. "No, I know she can handle herself. We've been partners since I graduated Shade and when we were paired for Mistral at our ceremony at the Gathering, so I know she'll be good," Auron shot him a confused look, "This was a long time after Smoke's time there. They've had a new headmaster since then." Erron smiled and Auron nodded.

"So what do you look so worried about?" The boy asked and couldn't help but look to the forest too.

"Emowyn said something about experiments. I'm worried that is what the kidnappings have been for. But more importantly, what kind have been done. I'm hoping that the other Rangers in Sanus can put an end to them soon." Erron said and clinched his fist.

Auron tilted his head and turned to Erron. "Is there even supposed to be anyone at your Gatherin' this year? I mean, you, Emowyn, an' Preacher are stuck here. An' there's what? Two more in Vale that has to deal with that? As far as I know, from what little I know about you all, that would only mean just a few that would be at the Gatherin', right? Maybe four an' a few apprentices along with your leader?" Auron said, confused as to why they'd have a Gathering with such few Rangers.

Erron looked at him and smiled. "You would be right if there were only two in each Kingdom. We have a lot of 'inactive' or 'secondary' members, so to speak, that we have do other missions instead of watch over the Kingdoms. Regular 'Search and Destroy' and 'Extermination' missions, like normal Huntsmen, while the two officially assigned are attending meetings with the councils and keeping a close eye on the capitals and academies. I'd say that there are maybe five or six Rangers, along with the two assigned to watch Vale, that are working on bringing that operation down." Erron explained and looked back to the forest.

"I really don't know anything about you guys, do I?" Auron asked himself and leaned back in the chair.

Thirty minutes later, Smoke woke up and walked outside to join them. "You two are up early. Anything else from Emowyn?"

Erron shook his head. "Nope, nothing. She'll call if something comes up though." He took hold of his rifle and started to disassemble it, thinking of nothing else to do with his time.

"Hey dad, where are those tank scraps at?" Auron asked.

"I'll show ya, come on." Smoke replied and walked off the porch. Auron soon followed and left Erron alone to his rifle.

"Why d'ya want to know?" Smoke asked as his son caught up to him.

"I wanna take some of it an' make some armor for my right arm an' hand so I can block hits with that if I need to." Auron answered as they went around the corner of the house.

"We outta be able to do that for you. You still remember how to work the forge?" Smoke asked with a grin.

"Yeah, I don't think that'll get outta my head easily. I still remember the first time I tried to use it when you an' mom went into Mistral last year." Auron replied with a smile of his own.

Smoke laughed and looked over to Auron. "Yeah, you called us an' said, 'I fucked up.' An' you ended up almost burnin' the workshop down, you lil' shit." He said jokingly as they arrived at the workshop.

"I still remember how hard mom smacked me for sayin' that too." Auron said, then moved his hand to his forearm.

They walked into the building and Smoke turned the lights on, revealing multiple tank legs, two of the artillery rifle barrels, and one cannon. "You saved this much? I should be good to make that armor sometime with this." Auron said as he looked over the scraps.

"You work fast enough, you could get it done in a day if you know what you wanna do." Smoke said and walked out of the building.

"Huh, I think I'll do that." Auron said to himself and started to gather tools.

From using power drills, sockets, wrenches, crowbars, and _a lot_ of kicking, he finally got enough of the metal to forge into armor. It would take a lot of work for what he wanted to do, the pieces had to be thick enough to block strikes easily, but not overly bulky to get in the way. Plus he had to take the time to make sure the armor fit on the outside of his arm comfortably, along with fusing a bit of earth dust into it to match his semblance.

All in all, he was having fun with working on something new.

* * *

Like Smoke said, it was taking Auron little to no time at all to finish his project, even though he had been working on it all day. He finished the armguard and gauntlet, then made sure they fit over his arm and hand comfortably and easily. Satisfied with that, he used a bit more of the materials to make light leg guards. He made the left guard only cover his shin and knee, and the right leg extended all the way up to the middle of his thigh.

Maybe now his knees won't be as vulnerable.

He equipped all the armor he made and moved around, making sure he could still move easily with it all. He was satisfied in how it turned out, the armguard was thick enough to block the most savage strikes, especially considering that the two Spider Tanks had a bit of special alloy in them also. The leg guards were just the same and would provide his knees protection from any attacks he couldn't block with his aura.

He was brought out of his thoughts when he heard some commotion towards the house. He grabbed _Last Call_ and ran out to see what was going on.

"Night time? Damn, time flies when you're busy." He said to himself as he exited the workshop.

He rounded the corner of the house with his sword ready in his left hand, but immediately placed it on his back when he saw Emowyn standing in the light of the porch along with the others.

Auron got to them just after Emowyn went inside. "Everything alright?"

"Yeah, Emowyn's just getting some much needed rest." Erron said in relief.

"So where've you been all day? Toyin' around in the workshop?" Preacher asked when he noticed Auron's new armor.

"Yeah, I was workin' on some armor." Auron said and sat down.

The rest followed and stayed silent for a few moments. "We got a plan?" Auron asked.

"We'll give it another day for her to rest an' to make sure your knee's good," Smoke said and stood back up, "We'll prepare for a few days walkin' an' get to bed early tomorrow night. We'll be headin' out at dawn."

* * *

The next day was spent making sure they had what they needed. They each had a pack of food, two bottles of water, a bottle of coffee, and cloaks thanks to each Ranger always having an extra with them. Auron and Smoke tried the cloaks on and were surprised with how well they fit.

"You sure you want two non-Rangers wearin' your cloaks?" Auron asked jokingly.

"Hell no." Preacher replied with a laugh.

"Anything that will give us more of an advantage. They shouldn't be able to see you easily. Plus, I checked the weather and it's supposed to be cold in the morning, so they'll help keep you warm." Erron said and the two took the cloaks off and laid them on the couch.

"I'm gonna head to my room to make sure I got everything ready to go." Auron said and walked up the stairs, leaving the rest to prepare more.

He entered his room and closed the door. He sighed as he laid his revolvers on his desk and retrieved a sharpening stone from one of his drawers. It was a special one made from burn dust that gave any blade a fiery edge for a time. He had others in his desk, but he wanted to use the burn dust to hopefully cause someone's uniform to catch fire in the middle of a fight, and hopefully spread chaos.

He spent nearly an hour honing the edge of his sword, then he put it to its rifle form and loaded burn rounds into it. He set his rifle close to his bed and reloaded his revolvers with the burn rounds also.

After he finished with his weapons, he placed his armor on the table next to his desk as he made sure it didn't crack or bend out of shape in the last day. Satisfied with his armor's condition, he took his duster off and hung it on the wall, then laid in his bed to relax.

* * *

Auron wasn't aware he had fallen asleep until his alarm woke him five minutes before dawn. He got out of bed and put his boots on, then threw his duster on as he stretched. He had slept in the clothes he would wear, black jeans and a dark red shirt. He placed his revolvers in their holsters and put _Last Call_ on his back. He strapped on his armguard and leg guards, then put his gauntlet on over his right hand and a glove on his left.

He prepared himself for the fight of his life and walked out of his room.

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: Two more to go.**

 **Auron's got some fancy new armor and now he's gotta put it to use.**

 **See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	29. Chapter 28: The Day That Never Comes

**The Day That Never Comes**

It took them two days to reach the base at their fast pace. Everyone wore the cloaks to keep them from sight and they were able to get within perfect range for a surprise attack.

They each stood up slowly from their crouching positions and raised their weapons. Emowyn fired first with the most silent weapon and sent a burn-crystal tipped arrow at the core of an unoccupied Spider Tank and destroyed it, then she sent another arrow at the last mech they had and destroyed it as well.

The explosions shook the base's foundations and the Crimson Lance scrambled out of the buildings to try to figure out what was happening. They made a grave mistake by grouping up in the center yard of the base as the group of fighters opened fire. They were so surprised and shocked that they couldn't dive behind cover in time before being brought down by the hail of ice, burn, and bolt rounds. All of them that were grouped up were on the ground in seconds.

"Spread out!" Smoke called and they separated, leaving their scrolls on a group call to keep in contact.

Each of them reloaded their weapons as more of the Faunus made their way out of the buildings and looked in horror at how many of them laid on the ground, motionless, and their last tanks destroyed.

"Wh-wha…" One of them started before she saw the feathered end of an arrow sticking out of her chest, then she fell backwards.

Emowyn already had a steady stream of her arrows on the way before the first soldier fell and they each found their mark. After she ran out of arrows, she sat on the ground and watched as Erron and Preacher picked the rest of the small group off with _Frostbite_ and _Bear Tooth_ respectively. Now that the area was clear, Emowyn focused her aura to her hand and pulled her arrows back to her, then went to another location. Auron's question when they first met was answered.

One riot, one Ranger. It seemed that three Rangers are akin to a force of nature itself.

Auron threw his cloak off and went behind a wall to reload _Last Call_. A grunt came past the wall and Auron grabbed him, twisted around, and slammed his head into the wall to knock him out. He picked his rifle up and finished reloading its twelve rounds, then put it in its sword form with the end of the barrel exposed. He drew one of his revolvers in his right hand and took a deep breath, then went from behind the wall and into a group of grunts.

The group of fifteen caught sight of Auron and started toward him, brandishing their weapons in rage at the young attacker. One of the larger ones lifted a rocket launcher and aimed at Auron, he grinned and fired it at the boy.

Auron brought up a metal wall and sent it flying toward them. It collided with the rocket and it exploded, with shrapnel from the wall and the rocket flying back at the Crimson Lance. Five stood their ground but the rest were knocked down by the blast and the fragments of stone and metal. Auron boosted himself forward by a platform and sent his aura through his blade, setting it on fire by activating the burn dust he honed it with. He sliced at one of the five grunts, catching his shirt on fire, and kicked him away. He screamed and he flailed around on the ground while trying to put out the flames.

"Damn it you idiot! Just ro-" One of them tried to calm him down, but Auron blasted him in the chest with his revolver to take him out. He shot at the others that were standing and then sliced in a wide arc at them all, sending them to the ground. Auron closed his eyes for a moment as he took a deep breath. It's what he had to do to make sure he made it out of this. He figured that if he was going to be a Huntsman, he would need to do it sooner or later. He opened his eyes back up and glared through the Faunus in front of him.

One grunt got to his feet and came at Auron with a sword. He blocked the strike with his armguard and counterattacked, causing a deep cut across his forehead. The Faunus grabbed at his head and Auron placed a shot from his revolver into his chest. Before the other grunts could come at him, he used his semblance and stomped the ground, causing a small tremor to knock them back down. He shot the rest of them and turned before a blade from the side grazed his cheek, causing a gash as the surprise attack bypassed his aura.

Auron spun around and whipped the dog Faunus woman with his revolver, then sliced at her with his sword. He pulled he trigger and accelerated his swing and sent her flying and setting her on fire as the blade made contact with her clothes. No one else challenged him at the moment, so he reloaded his revolver and went to search for his father.

* * *

Smoke used his semblance and vanished into his namesake as a blade struck his torso. He appeared behind the man and thrusted his warhammer outward into his back, then brought it back and swung with all of his might at the Faunus' head. _Jackhammer_ made contact and the Faunus was sent flying into the side of a building.

"Hey dad, How're you holdin' up?" Auron asked through the scroll.

"I'm good, ain't seen the leader yet. I'm sure he'll come out soon enough though," After a few seconds, his guess was proven correct as the Crimson Lance leader and lieutenant finally stepped from a building. The two looked around as they witnessed the destruction of their forces in such a short time.

"I see the leaders, Get over here!" Smoke called through his scroll and the four made their way over to him.

"We need to take them down _now_." Smoke said and raised his rifle.

The others followed his action, with Preacher handing Emowyn his rifle, and they took aim. The leader seemed to sense that he was in someone's crosshairs and he stepped behind his lieutenant as he grinned. The giant Faunus glanced at his leader and nodded, then stood ready. The group fired their weapons over and over, each round finding their mark in the titan Faunus, but he didn't flinch.

After emptying their weapons into him, they noticed the Faunus start to glow and cross his arms over his chest.

"Somethin' ain't right…" Auron said as he noticed the man still stand.

"Oh shit!" He yelled when he noticed the Faunus' body straighten and his arms stretch outward, launching a hail of burning projectiles back at them along with solid dust shards. Auron quickly gathered his aura and stomped the ground, causing a thick, wide wall in front of them to block the hail of multi-colored dust.

"Oh hell no…" Preacher said as he recalled who this Faunus was. "Kain."

The temporary barrier was broken down by the giant's weapon, his two-handed, studded club. The large studs in it were attached to chains on the inside of the club, turning it into a flail, and the balls crashed through the wall with the force of an Ursa.

The five scattered and went into the forest to find a way around, to hit the massive Faunus from behind. After they separated, the remaining forces of the Crimson Lance regrouped and were on their tails. After a minute of running and dodging gunfire, Smoke and Auron stopped and regrouped.

"Dust… we can't fight out here, we gotta go back." Smoke said and started to fire his rifle back the way they came.

"Me an' Auron's headin' back! We can't fight in the forest like this!" Smoke called out to the other three through his scroll.

The father and son ran back through the forest, firing and striking at any Crimson Lance soldier they saw. Auron was able to put his new gauntlet to good use when one ran in front of him. He focused his aura into his right arm, causing the red in the armor to glow, and reared his fist back. He let loose with a powerful punch made more painful from the momentum of running and his Atlesian-metal gauntlet slamming into the Faunus' nose.

The next one in front of him had an _Anti-Grimm Rifle_ and pointed it at Auron as he approached. It had the potential to tear through his aura if he let it. Auron gathered his energy and jumped forward, then slammed his feet into the ground and caused a pillar of metal to erupt from the ground that threw the soldier into the air before he could fire. Auron caught the _AGR_ and sliced at the man simultaneously, then put his sword on his back as he ran forward. Another with the same weapon showed up but Auron fired his first, completely tearing through the man.

He grabbed the other weapon, hoping to hand it off to his father, but then the two broke into the clearing of the base to find the Crimson Lance leader and lieutenant waiting for them. Auron threw the weapons on the ground and readied this sword, the weapon he had the most experience with.

"Kain, take the young one. Alive, preferably." The leader said to his second-in-command.

"Yes sir." The giant said with his scowl.

"I mean it brother, make sure he stays alive. We need that information." The Faunus called Hawk said, then brandished his huge tower shield and sword.

"I'll kill the father. It may break the boy's spirit." He launched himself at Smoke with surprising speed for a man that size.

Auron looked over to his father, then noticed Kain start walking toward him. "Everyone get back to us! NOW!" He yelled to the three Rangers just before he engaged Kain in combat.

The giant swung his two-handed flail and Auron brought up a barrier just in time to block the chains. The brute kept swinging the chain, over and over, seemingly trying to toy with Auron.

As Kain brought his flail back to prepare to strike again, Auron punched the barrier with his right hand. Utilizing the dust in his gauntlet with his semblance. He sent the metal toward the giant with more force than he had before. The sudden wall in his face seemed to stun Kain as he reeled back from the blow. The wall didn't hurt him, it only caused him to stagger back due to the force that hit him.

"Interesting…" He said to himself before he swung his flail again, this time from the side. Auron jumped over the chains and closed the distance, then just avoided the chains when they came back around. Auron started to rapidly strike the giant with _Last Call_ , not seeming to do any damage to the brute. Kain withdrew the chain and started to block Auron's strikes with his club.

* * *

Smoke was having no better luck with Hawk. The Crimson Fang leader had him on the defense, swinging his greatsword with great power and speed, forcing Smoke to block and try to dodge. Hawk came at Smoke with a savage overhand strike, but Smoke got away with his semblance and reformed behind the bear Faunus.

He went to strike Hawk from behind, aiming for the lower spine, but the bear was smart to this type of semblance and brought his tower shield behind him to block _Jackhammer_. As Smoke reeled back from the block, Hawk was already spinning around with his sword to slash at Smoke's midsection. The aging fighter was able to bring his hammer back just in time to block the strike and was sent across the clearing into the side of a building. Smoke crashed hard into the building and made an indent in it, staying there for a second before falling to his knees. He could see that Auron was on the attack against the other bear Faunus, and he noticed the giant start to radiate.

"Auron! Watch out!" He yelled through his scroll before Hawk came up to him, sword ready to finish him.

* * *

Auron was struggling against the titan of a Faunus, that much he knew. He was able to get strikes to land on the large bear, sure, but he wasn't fazed by them at all and it was leaving himself tired. Every strike he tried prove to do little to damage Kain. He started to wonder just what he had to do to beat the giant.

"Auron! Watch out!" He heard his father call to him and then started to notice the glow surrounding Kain.

When his large opponent brought his arms inward, Auron quickly brought up a metal barrier, then sent it straight into Kain, causing him to lose his focus and stop his 'countermeasure' semblance.

He was dazed as he tried to refocus his eyes and Auron noticed the struggle. He came at the lieutenant with all the power he had, hoping to take advantage of this opportunity and bring the giant down.

* * *

Smoke saw Auron quickly bring up a barrier and send it into the giant. He smiled to himself at his son's quick thinking, then turned to Hawk, who was approaching him.

"You're going to give us your knowledge, one way or the other, Karmine." He said as he brought his sword up.

Smoke was prepared to use his semblance, but it wasn't needed. A light-blue tipped arrow firmly planted itself into the Faunus's leg, freezing his leg in a cluster of ice for the time being. Smoke took the distraction and capitalized himself, standing up and sending a barrage of hammer blows to the Crimson Lance leader.

He could tell that Emowyn, Preacher, and Erron made it back to the base and were still engaged with the many soldiers that remained. He couldn't take time to thank the fox Faunus for the arrow as he kept on striking at Hawk with his hammer.

In the corner of his eye, he saw his son flying through the air. He saw Auron land hard on the ground and cease moving. "Auron!" He yelled in fear and rage and swung his hammer with more power.

* * *

Auron was not letting up in his assault, trying not to let Kain get back to his senses. With his right hand, he pulled one of his revolvers and started to place shots into the lieutenant's torso in unison with his sword slices. He heard the gunshots approach from the forest, signaling that the three Rangers were close now. He smiled to himself and pressed on the attack, switching revolvers when his other was empty. Auron started pulling the trigger of _Last Call_ with every strike, working the lever with his aur, sending out more savage strikes along with blasting him with his revolver.

Kain was seething with rage at being beaten down by this worthless human boy. A boy not even out of his teens no less! He took all of the damage from Auron and absorbed it into his semblance, then crossed his arms and released all of that energy quickly, sending out a hellish blast and knocking Auron back through the air.

Auron felt searing pain shoot through his right knee and leg as the blast struck him. He landed on the ground with great impact, snapping his left arm under his body and knocking all the air from his lungs. He laid on the wet ground, gasping for breath as the giant moved closer and closer to him.

"I will tell you the name of my weapon," Kain said as he stood over Auron's body, "I call it _Edgecrusher_. I have crushed all of those that stood against us with this weapon. And now you will join those that fell before." He said as he brought his club, _Edgecrusher_ , over his head.

"I am done with you!"

Auron was thinking frantically on what to do, he needed to get out of this somehow. He felt his blood pool around his head and he looked around frantically to find something, anything, to let him out of this. As the giant brought the club down, an ice arrow struck him in the shoulder, freezing his arm and stopping the downward arc.

Auron noticed it and gathered what little aura he could, then sent it from his hand into the ground, causing a pillar of metal to erupt and send the giant far into the air.

Kain landed on his back, taking most of the impact with his shoulders and neck. His aura had been drained from the heavy use of his demanding semblance and protecting himself from the boy's attacks, causing him to take every bit of damage to his neck.

Auron laid there for another moment before he went to stand, he reached down and grabbed his sword sword from the ground as he stared at the motionless Faunus. He coughed, the pain jolting through his chest and side as he limped and swayed slowly over to the fallen giant and stood over him, who still looked at him with rage.

"You worthless boy! Who are you to keep your knowledge to yourselves!" Kain yelled and tried to grab his weapon, but couldn't due to now being paralyzed from the impact of landing on his neck.

"The same people that keep it from bastards like you."

With his broken arm, Auron had to hold _Last Call_ in his right hand and stabbed Kain as hard as he could in the chest, tearing through the armor and just missing his heart, although Auron couldn't know for sure.

As he turned around, an explosion went off and he saw a horrifying sight.

* * *

"Brother!" Hawk yelled as he turned and witnessed Auron impale Kain in the chest.

He noticed one of the Rangers getting very close to where his men dropped a crate of explosives just before this battle. He knocked Smoke away and pulled his scroll out.

"You will all burn!" He yelled and pressed a location on the screen.

An explosion rocked the foundations of the base. The blast caught multiple Crimson Lance soldiers but also caught Preacher as well, sending the veteran Ranger flying. He screamed and writhed in pain as he hit the ground. Before he could see the damage, he passed out from shock.

"Preacher…" Smoke said as he took his attention from Hawk.

It was a grave mistake.

The leader of the Crimson Lance brought a vial of liquid from his inner vest pocket and smashed it across the blade, then quickly spread it all along its length. As Smoke was stuck in shock at seeing Preacher horrifically maimed, Hawk slashed at Smoke's chest. He got his warhammer up just in time to keep himself from being cut in two, but still took a scarily deep gash in his chest.

Hawk pressed on his scroll's screen again and yelled through it, which was connected to a loudspeaker. "Crimson Lance! We are pulling out! Leave them and retreat!" He boomed and walked away, leaving Smoke on his knees.

From there, the base cleared out fast. Auron put his weapons in their holsters and grabbed the Faunus giant's weapon, to take and keep the Lance from having it. He rushed over to his father and saw he was laying on his back.

"Emowyn! Erron! Get over here! Please!" Auron cried out as he approached his father.

"Preacher!" Emowyn yelled when she ran over and looked over his mangled leg. She shook the shock from her head and went to try to stanch the blood flow from Preacher's leg.

Auron tried to do the same with his father's chest, but he was shaking horribly at the sight and couldn't keep his right hand steady. Erron ran up to him and stopped him before Auron could do more harm than good. "Here, let me take care of him. Just… just be ready to leave." Erron said as calmly as he could and went to work as the boy stepped away with fear, true fear, in his mind.

* * *

It took four days to travel back to the house where medics were already waiting from when Emowyn called them. The two gravely injured men were loaded into two ambulances with Auron traveling with Smoke, who had long been unconscious from his injury. Emowyn and Erron were in the other ambulance with Preacher, helping the medic tend to the old man as best they could.

Auron left all of his weapons and armor back at the house, only wearing his duster over his clothes. He put his right hand on his head and felt all of the crusted and matted blood on his head, then passed out from exhaustion.

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: One more to go, and good lord I put a lot of work into it. It's the one that I took inspiration from a time in my life. I'll leave it at that for now.**

 **As you could probably tell if you're a fan of the games, I took inspiration for Kain's semblance from the Man On Fire from Metal Gear Solid V. His appearance is from something else though, and you'll have to guess.**

 **See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	30. Chapter 29: So Far Away

**AN: Well, here's the last chapter of the Karmine Arc. The title of the chapter is the name of a song by Avenged Sevenfold, a really sad song. The opening lyrics are from it as well. So yeah, there's the tone for the chapter.**

 **Enjoy.**

 **XxXxX**

 **So Far Away**

 _"How do I live without the ones I love?_

 _Time still turns the pages of the book it's_ _burned…_

 _Place and time, always on my mind._

 _I have so much to say but you're so far_ _away."_

* * *

 **Four days after the battle**

Auron awoke the next day in a hospital bed. His head was pounding so hard that he felt it would explode if it didn't let up. He placed his hand on his head and could feel bandages wrapped around it, then moved his fingers down to his cheek where there was a bandage from where his cheek had been split open. He also felt that his ribs and right leg were wrapped up heavily, and his left arm was in a cast.

A doctor quickly noticed him and came into his room. "You're awake? You are… Auron Karmine, correct?" The doctor asked in a somber tone, and Auron nodded his head.

"Y-yeah…" He said shakily and went to sit up.

"You should consider yourself lucky to even be awake right now, considering the extent of your injuries and the medication we had to give you," The doctor said and saw the confusion on the boy's face, "I won't bore you with exactly what was broken. You've suffered three broken bones in your left arm, fractured one bone in your right leg, suffered an ACL and MCL tear in your right knee, three broken ribs, and a severe concussion. As soon as you arrived, we checked your aura level and it was completely depleted. Before permanent damage was set, we performed surgery to repair the bones in your left arm and the tears and bone in your leg. Your aura should heal them fully in time,"

"Do you… remember what happened?" He asked after explaining Auron's injuries.

The boy nodded slowly and looked down as he remembered everything. "H-how… How did I even walk so far?" He asked quietly.

"I would say adrenaline and absolute worry, from what the two Rangers told me… Come with me please, if you can stand." The man said and handed him a crutch.

He was taken to the ICU and he started to wonder about what he had seen. _"Was Preacher's leg really that bad? Was dad really hurt?"_ He fearfully asked himself in his mind.

The elevator arrived on the first floor and the doctor led Auron to room thirteen where he saw everyone sitting in chairs. The first he noticed was his mother, who stood and ran to hug him.

"Oh my Oum Auron! I'm glad you're okay!" She said with fresh tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Y-yeah, I'm okay… what about…" His words were cut short as he looked past her and saw his father laying in the bed, unconscious and barely breathing.

"D-dad?"

"Jeff's been… p-poisoned, Auron. Th-they… they say that there's no cure for this type…" Kathy said with a quivering voice. The news, the tone of her voice, and the look in her sunset-orange eyes made Auron's blood run cold.

"So he's… g-gonna die?" He asked fearfully, with his own tears in his eyes.

Kathy couldn't form the answer and she broke down in front of him, her body racking with heavy sobs. A nurse outside the room came in and escorted Kathy to a break room where she could be alone for a bit.

Auron stood in shocked silence as his mother left the room. He sat down in an empty chair and held his head down, trying to process the news. Then, another horrifying thought came to him. "Preacher?" He said sadly, causing Emowyn and Erron to exchange sad glances.

Erron stood and motioned for Auron to follow him to the other side of the room. With the grave news of his father, he didn't notice that the room had two beds in it. The two stepped past the curtain separating the beds and Auron nearly fell over from shock.

Preacher was still alive, breathing normally in his unwilling slumber, but his left leg was gone completely. Everyone knew that his long and storied career as a Ranger was over now.

"O-Oum no…" Auron's voice cracked as he stared at Preacher's unconscious body.

Erron placed his hand on the boy's shoulder. He didn't have any words to give the boy any comfort. He knew that Auron had known Preacher since he was born, considering how close he and Smoke were back then.

He was like an uncle to Auron. He helped Smoke to teach the boy everything they knew to help him along in Sanctum, watching him as he fought in the Mistral Regional Tournaments and as he faced the so called _Invincible Girl_ , watching him move from Sanctum and prepare to move on to a Huntsman Academy and risking himself to help Auron and Smoke in their time of need. Erron took his hand off Auron's shoulder and went to sit back down with Emowyn, leaving the boy to his thoughts.

Auron didn't know what would happen now. With the start of the Crimson Lance's attacks on them, he missed the deadline to submit his transcripts to an academy.

That was far from his main concern now.

He went to sit down after standing still for several minutes. He, just like the others, couldn't bring himself to say anything just yet, only able to stare blankly at the truth of the situation

* * *

 **One week after the battle**

Preacher was awake now, tiredly looking out the window and staring at the almost pitch-black clouds in the sky. It had been storming heavily for two days. The thunder was loud when it rolled, the lightning flashed constantly, and the heavy wind sounded like a speeding freight train passing by.

He already accepted that his leg was gone, he knew could have a prosthetic easily due to his connections he made as a Ranger over the years. One thing he hated though was that he would have to retire from being a Ranger, the one thing he loved and knew since he was fresh out of Haven Academy.

The thing he hated the most out of anything, though, was the horrible fact that his closest friend was dying.

He remembered his first time meeting Smoke after the young man arrived in Mistral with only the clothes on his back and his hammer on his shoulder. He told Preacher of what happened to him and the then-young Ranger took him in and helped him along. He looked over toward Smoke, who was still laying unconscious in the bed. He couldn't stand to see his old friend so helpless like that. Already from lack of movement, coupled with whatever poison flowed in his veins, his body had started to wither away.

He looked away when the tears started to sting his eyes and he looked back through the window. Back to the storm above Mistral rather than the storm of emotions in the room.

* * *

 **Two weeks after the battle**

Preacher had gotten better. After nearly two weeks of silence he finally spoke.

"I'm… s-sorry, Kathy."

The sudden voice startled everyone in the room.

"Sorry…? What do you need to be sorry about?" Kathy asked. Her face was still stained with tears from these past weeks.

"If… if I was more careful, I wouldn't have got caught in that explosion. I wouldn't have distracted Jeff an' he wouldn't be… like this…" Preacher said with the pain heavy in his voice.

"I can't blame you Preacher… I won't. You couldn't have known what would happen. No one could've. Please… please don't blame yourself for this…" Kathy replied and started to feel more tears welling in her eyes.

"I… I don't know if I can keep from that." Preacher said to himself and looked through the window once more.

Emowyn heard it and her ears pressed harder against her skull at his tone.

* * *

 **Four weeks after the battle**

Smoke was awake.

When he first opened his eyes and tried to move, everyone looked with hope in their eyes, thinking and hoping that he was getting better. Kathy was the first to notice. When Smoke regained consciousness, he squeezed his hand over Kathy's, who hardly ever left his side since she was informed that he was rushed to the ICU.

"What's happened?" Smoke asked weakly.

Auron was the one to answer. "You were fightin' Hawk, and then…" The young man hesitated and glanced over to Preacher. Auron didn't have any bandages covering his head anymore and his ribs were lightly wrapped now. He still felt pain in his arm but it was fading, and it was only wrapped tightly in thick bandages. He still had a while longer to wait on his right leg to heal completely from the tears in his knee.

"I was caught in a blast, Jeff. It… took my leg." Preacher explained for him and Auron looked back to his father.

"And you were… poisoned…" Auron finished and held his head down.

Kathy gripped Smoke's hand more tightly. "The doctors say that there's no cure for it… But you're awake now! It looks like you're getting better!" She said with the hopefulness of a child.

"Is… is the poison why I can't feel below my knees?"

* * *

 **Five weeks after the battle**

Smoke was in horrible condition. While still conscious, his body was slowly starting to succumb to the paralysis of the poison. Starting with his feet, it had now moved up to his waist. Where he was once two hundred and fifty pounds of battle-hardened muscle, his body had been hit with the effects of atrophy, coupled with the poison, breaking him down close to one hundred pounds in only five weeks.

Preacher was in a wheelchair, now sitting beside Erron and Emowyn as they stayed by Smoke and Kathy's sides. Auron was out to fulfill a request his father made, seeming to signal that his time was quickly fading. The doctor was in the room going over with Smoke about the specifics and severity of his condition with a very somber tone in his voice.

Since Mistral was the religious center of Remnant, Smoke had asked Auron to get a priest to come see him. He arrived with the priest and he sat down, sighing heavily from all of the emotions he was feeling, the main one being grief. He could walk on his leg now, only limping heavily whenever he walked.

The priest had his hair wrapped in a short ponytail and he had no facial hair. His eyes were a warm rose color and he gave a smile to match that. He wore a black suit, the typical attire of the church he served.

"Hello, sir." Smoke greeted the priest.

"Please, call me Mideon," The man replied and bowed deeply, then his smile dropped. "I won't keep this going longer than it needs to be. Have you made peace with The Lord?" He asked heavily.

"I'd like to think I have.… but I know I got a lot to make up for." Smoke replied.

"Alright then, Let us pray." Mideon said and everyone bowed their heads in silence.

"Our heavenly Lord, Oum. I ask of you to let this man be free of his guilt and his pain. I ask that you forgive this man for any sin he has committed in his life. I ask that you let his spirit to join you in your great Kingdom and watch over him. I ask that you look over his family and friends in this time and keep them safe. I ask that you guide his soul to eternal peace and happiness. In your name, we thank you. Amen."

"Amen." Everyone echoed and raised their heads, letting tears fall from their eyes.

"Thank you, Mideon… Be safe." Smoke said and the priest bowed to him once more and left.

The doctor that had been talking to Smoke returned after a few moments holding a clipboard, letting the group have a moment to themselves before he spoke to them. "Jeffery, Katherine, Auron. This is a hard decision to make that I'm about to give you the choice of," He said and gained everyone's attention.

"I have a paper here. If you sign this, it will mean that if Jeffery is passing on, we will make no attempts to resuscitate him and we will let him pass in peace. From… very personal experience, I suggest this option heavily. I'm sorry… but it will only be harder on you all if you prolong what is coming. Only you two, Katherine or Auron, may sign this. I'll let you have time to think." The doctor finished and made his way to leave them.

"Yes." Smoke answered, causing the doctor to stop and everyone to turn to him.

"Please, I know it's hard, but I want you to sign it," He continued and looked to both his wife and son, "If it means wouldn't have to go through this hell any more… I wanna go when I'm ready." Smoke finished with his eyes watering with tears.

"A-are you sure, Jeff?" Kathy asked lightly.

"I'm sorry… but I know I ain't got long." Smoke replied sadly.

Auron stood and walked to the doctor and took the clipboard and a pen.

"Do we both gotta sign it?" He asked, and received a nod.

Auron took a few moments to himself and closed his tear-filled eyes, then signed the paper first. He passed the clipboard over to his mother and she slowly signed it in her best handwriting. "We got one more to sign it when she gets here… Gail needs to do it too." Auron said an took an unsteady breath.

With that finished, Auron handed the clipboard back to the doctor and he left.

* * *

 **Six weeks after the battle**

Erron and Emowyn left the room, letting Preacher, Auron, Gail, and Kathy have their last moments alone with the dying man known as Smoke. Gail was Auron's sister, and Smoke and Kathy's daughter. She took her mother's traits of light-brown hair and sunset-orange eyes. Her hair was wrapped in a loose, messy ponytail and extended just past her shoulders. It was messy from lack of sleep and the fact that she didn't have the strength to brush it lately. As soon as she got the call from Auron, she had flown in from Atlas with her fiancé and she went straight to the hospital. She sat between her mother and brother and her eyes stung with tears. After a few years of not seeing her father, and this was what she saw when she got to see him again. It was hard for her to take, especially after Auron explained everything that happened. She had become a doctor instead of a Hunter, and was always glad that her father had approved greatly of it.

Smoke's condition was horrifying to witness. The paralysis had grown to everything below his neck, leaving him only able to move his head and talk weakly. Even though he couldn't feel it anymore, Kathy held his hand as tight as ever.

"I… I think I'm about gone…" Smoke said weakly, his voice was barely even audible.

"We're with you dear." Kathy said, then leaned in to kiss him one last time. Smoke smiled as strongly as he could.

"At least I could still feel that." That got the four he loved the most to at least smile.

"Dad… do you want me to do anything for you?" Auron asked.

"Right now? No. But… I want you to become a Huntsman… like you wanted. That's all I want from you." Smoke replied and Auron nodded his head.

"Alright… I'll do it with everything I got."

"Dad, I'm sorry…" Gail choked out, "I'm so sorry… I haven't seen you in so long. I should've came to see you more."

"Hey little one… Don't cry," Smoke said weakly to her, "You gotta be brave… It's alright."

"It's _not_ ," She cried and held her head low, "I haven't even called in so long either. I'm your daughter… I'm supposed to call and check up on you and make sure you're okay. I couldn't even do that because of work-"

"I'm so proud of you, honey…" Smoke breathed out and stopped her from going further, "I'm proud that you went an' did what you wanted. Both you and Auron's helpin' the world. Both of you make me the proudest I can be… Don't blame yourself for not callin'. We all love ya just the same," He felt heavy tears rolling down his cheeks as he looked to his daughter, "Oum… I ain't gonna be here for your weddin'."

"Oh Gods, d-dad…" She cried more and couldn't bring herself to say anything else. Auron rubbed her shoulder as he held his other hand over his mouth to hide his quivering lips.

Preacher moved his wheelchair closer to the head of the bed and spoke. "Jeff… Smoke… We've been through a hell of a lot together over the years. I'm glad to be a part o' your life. I always thought o' you as my brother." He said with a small smile.

"I feel the same way, Preach… I know that you gotta retire from the Rangers now… but I want you to keep an eye on these three for me. Tell Erron an' Emowyn I said thanks." Smoke said and rested his eyes, they were feeling rather heavy to him now.

"You got my word on that." Preacher replied.

"I couldn't ask for a better family." Smoke said to them all and smiled.

* * *

 **Seven weeks after the battle**

"We are gathered here today…"

Auron was half listening to Mideon talk. His eyes were cast down and tears stung them. His mother was next to him, holding his arm tightly to hopefully give him some strength, and herself also. He knew it was coming, everyone knew, but that did nothing to make it easier.

"Today, we lay to rest a great man. Jeffery Price Karmine. Better known to some of you as Smoke…"

Preacher was seated to Auron's left in a wheelchair. His hard, lavender eyes were filled with the tears of remembering his oldest friend as he stared at the open casket.

"A man who, with a great sacrifice, protected his family and friends with all he had in him…"

Gail was on the other side of Kathy, next to her fiancé who accompanied her, James Silver. She still couldn't forgive herself for how she hadn't called or visited.

"And finally, a man who went through great strife as a young teenager, only to persevere and find the love of his life and the family he had to leave behind. He is survived by his wife, Katherine Karmine. His son, Auron Karmine. His daughter, Gail Karmine. And his brother, Preacher. At this time, I would ask of everyone to bow their heads for a moment of silence…" Mideon said and the room went silent, the only sounds being from barely audible music and sniffles from some people. Old friends of Smoke's, some that even remembered him from Shade. Even one of his old teammates, but none of them as close as Preacher.

There were two people that he was close friends with also, one man with emerald colored eyes wearing a black suit, with a red and gold cape hanging from his left shoulder. The other was his wife, a woman with garnet-red eyes and long, flowing red and gray hair, wearing a red dress. Auron knew them well, Epirus and Helena Nikos, his old friend's parents.

The quiet music that played during the service was clear in Auron's ears in the silence, the final words of a song. _"Like a bridge over troubled water, I will lay me down…"_ The song ended and another started in the silence. Some of the opening words sent chills down Auron's spine.

 _"Lived a life so endlessly. Saw beyond what others see…"_

It took every bit of his will to keep from breaking down. He clenched his eyes shut as he tried to keep his control, trying to stifle the tears in his eyes. He felt Preacher's hand on his shoulder and his mother grip his arm tighter and he calmed down as best he could.

As Mideon started to speak again, Preacher rolled his wheelchair up to him. "If you don't care, I'd like to say somethin'." He said and the priest nodded and stepped back to let the old man speak.

He turned his chair around to face the small crowd of people. "I've known Jeff for a good thirty or forty years. No, I'm not his brother by blood… but with all we've been through over the years, he was more of a brother than I've ever had. He considered me the same. Jeff came to Mistral a long time ago with nothin' an' I helped 'im on his feet, gave 'im a place to stay an' found 'im a job. His son, Auron, grew into a fighter an' a protector, a future Huntsman that Jeff didn't get the chance to be. I look at him an' I see an almost mirror image of Jeff when I first met him… Sounds about the same too. I look at his wife Kathy an' I see the girl that fumbled over herself when they first met. He did the same an' I had to knock their heads together to get 'em to confess it to each other," Preacher gave a small smile and looked over to Kathy, who gave a small but happy grin for the memory.

"I see his daughter Gail an' I see the girl he was proud of for doin' what she wanted, an' he never wanted to force a fighter's life on her. An' I look at me… I see the old man that stood at his back for years an' years whenever he needed it. I look at Jeff an' I see the best damn man I've ever known, an' a man who'd give anything for his family…" He sighed and prepared to give a speech he never thought he could, or would ever have to.

"There's somethin' I heard before, a long time ago by an old Huntsman. ' _One day, a man's heart beats its final beat, his lungs breathe a final breathe. An' if what that man did in his life makes the blood pulse through the bodies of others, then his essence, his spirit, will be immortalized._ ' He brought a lot of happiness to my life back then… I'm glad I got the chance to meet 'im." Preacher finished and took a deep breath. He looked behind himself at the casket and closed his eyes for a moment, then went back to sit next to Auron.

After a moment, Mideon walked back up to the podium. "On this sad day, we give our final farewells to this man. We ask that our lord look over everyone in this room, as well as his soul, as Jeffery passes from this life."

The service was over and everyone stood up to leave. Epirus and Helena stood next to the casket, put their fists over their hearts and bowed their heads, then left. The last few to leave were Erron, Emowyn, and James. Erron gave Auron and Preacher a soft pat on the shoulders and Emowyn leaned down to hug them all. James leaned over to hug Gail softly, then he left.

The three left the room and all that were left were Preacher, Auron, Kathy, and Gail. The same song continued playing as Auron stood and walked to see his father one last time. It was ending, and some of the words rang clearly in his ears.

 _"I love you, you were ready. The pain is strong and urges rise. But I'll see you, when He lets me. Your pain is gone, your hands untied…"_

He stood next to the coffin and laid his hand on it. "I'll be the Hunter you never got to be…" He said and leaned over to press his forehead against his father's. "I'm gonna miss you, dad." Auron finished and walked away, then embraced his sister in a hug.

Kathy walked forward and placed a kiss on her husband's forehead, then turned to walk away, not having the strength to stay any longer.

Preacher rolled his wheelchair forward to the coffin, then went to stand on his leg as he leaned against it. "I ain't gonna forget the good times we had, Jeff. Rest easy, now. I'll look after 'em." He said and sat back down, then rolled himself from the room.

Auron finally walked from the room as the final words of another song played, nearly making him break down once more.

 _"Next time we meet, it's forever…"_

* * *

 **One and a half months after the battle**

"Are you sure you're ready to go now, Auron?" Kathy asked as her son was packing his things.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I gotta get to Vale as soon as I can. Hopefully I can make my case with Ozpin. I'm gonna stop by an' see dad before I head out though." Auron said as he put the _AGR_ magazines in his trunk. A week prior, Auron had walked back to the base and tried to retrieve the two large rifles to keep for defense of the house, but both had been ruined by weather. The magazines were the only things that even remotely looked like they worked. He would have to work with them on the ship. He didn't see Kain's body but he guessed, and hoped, that the Grimm had taken it.

Preacher had gotten a prosthetic for his leg already, having known the people that supplied them in Mistral. He limped into the doorway and addressed them. "Hey, Erron an' Emowyn's here." He said and walked from the room.

"I'll let you finish packing," Kathy said with a small smile, "I love you, son."

"Love you too, mom." Auron replied and Kathy walked out of the room. He had all of the things he wanted to take. The tools, oil, whetstones, and rags to maintain his weapons and armor. And sewing materials to repair his clothes. He set his armor and extra sets of clothes and different cloth fragments on top of everything.

The last thing he placed in the trunk was _Jackhammer_ , his father's weapon. Smoke handed the gun down to him just before passing, and Auron made it a point to take it with him to Vale. He closed the trunk and took it downstairs with him.

"Hey Auron, good to see you." Erron said as Auron made his way into the living room.

"You too, Erron. How've you both been?" He asked the two Rangers.

"Busy trying to clean up the Crimson Lance mess," Emowyn answered, "You ready to head to Vale?" She asked with a smile.

"Yeah, finally. I'm hopin' to get there before too long. Hopefully I can catch a fast ship." Auron replied, then sat on the box he set down.

"I'll miss havin' ya around, that's for sure." Preacher said and took a drink of coffee.

"Hmm, didn't think you'd say something like that, Preacher." Emowyn remarked.

"It means I'll have to do more chores." The old man replied.

Auron laughed at the words. "Yep, there's the reason," He shook his head and turned to the two Rangers, "Anyways, what brings you two over?"

"Well, I thought I could try to contact Remington. Maybe he could get a hold of Ozpin for you and explain your situation," Erron said with a smile, "I'd take those transcripts with you too, just in case."

Auron returned the smile. "I'd appreciate it, thanks Erron."

"It'll most likely take a little bit to do it. So you might be waiting for an answer." Erron said and Auron nodded.

The Rangers soon left and made their way back into Mistral, then Auron went to place the trunk in the back of his father's, or rather _his_ , truck. Before he left, he had dinner with Kathy and Preacher.

"I'm glad you decided to fix this for my last supper here. For now, at least." Auron said before he took another bite of the very crispy fried chicken.

"I didn't want you to leave on anything else than your favorite." Kathy replied with a wide smile.

"I'm takin' a good amount of the jerky too. I ain't leavin' without some." Auron said before he finished off a piece of chicken.

"Hey Kat, have I ever told you that you make the best food?" Preacher said to Kathy with a grin.

Kathy laughed lightly at the compliment. "Flattery won't get you out of doing chores, Preacher."

Preacher shook his head sadly. "Damn."

Kathy quickly smacked his arm lightly for that. "What have I told you?" She admonished him.

"Oh, whatever." Preacher replied and went back to his meal.

* * *

After the food was finished, Auron was ready to leave. Before he left to go to into the city, he made a visit to his father's grave under the old apple tree next to the house. He kneeled at the headstone and read the words.

 _"I know you'll find your own way when I'm not with you tonight…"_

Auron held his head down in silence, then heard that someone was walking over to to him. He stood and turned around to see Preacher and his mother walking toward him. "What brings you two out here?"

"I wanted for us to see you off as a family." Kathy said with a smile with a tear in her eye, and Preacher simply nodded.

Auron stepped forward to hug his mother, "I'll miss you, mom."

"I'll miss you too." She replied.

Auron stepped away to embrace Preacher in a hug also. "Take care of her, and yourself, Preacher."

"I will, don't worry your head over it." Preacher replied and they all held a moment of silence at the grave, then Auron went towards the truck.

"Oh, and Auron, try to keep in touch with your sister!" Kathy called out after him.

Auron heard it and raised his hand over his shoulder in a wave, both to say that he'll do what she asked, and for goodbye. He opened the door and sat inside the truck. He sat for a few moments, then closed the door and started the engine.

He blinked back tears and shook his head.

"I hate goodbyes."

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: So there was that. My eyes teared up so much from writing it. The inspiration was from when my grandfather died a few years ago. He lived with us since I was born and it was just so hard. I can't tell you how long I sat and just stared blankly at the floor. It all happened over the course of summer too, way too fast.**

 **There was a lot of references in this chapter. A few songs that I'll put in order. The lyrics I used at the beginning are from _So Far Away_. Then it's _Bridge Over Troubled Water_ , Johnny Cash's version specifically. Then was _So Far Away_ again. Then it was _Forever_ , from the Red vs Blue soundtrack. Then the last on the gravestone was from _Fiction_ , another Avenged Sevenfold song. I listened to them all when I wrote this chapter just for a bit more inspiration.**

 **Then there was Preacher's speech. If you know who originally said that, then that's awesome.**

 **Next is back to the present and back to the normal schedule. See you then, and have a nice day!**


	31. Chapter 30: Dreams and Legacy

**AN: Now, back to the regular stuff.**

 **XxXxX**

 **Dreams and Legacy**

Raine was the first to wake up the next morning at seven o'clock. Even though everyones' alarms were set to eight, she decided to wake the rest of the small group up so they can have more time to prepare.

The first one she woke up was Alyss, who sat up and yawned tiredly as she looked at the time. "Did something change?" She asked and Raine shook her head.

"No, I thought everyone would like a bit more time to get ready." Raine replied, then went to wake up Jace.

He was a bit harder to wake, considering he had his earphones in and was listening to music in his sleep. "How does he even do that?" She asked and shook her head.

"Jace! Wake up!" She yelled but Jace didn't stir. She knelt down beside him and nudged his shoulder. He jumped awake and bolted his eyes open. He relaxed when he saw the near-pink eyes of the apprentice staring at him.

"Why am I awake this early?" He asked tiredly.

"I want us to have more time to get ready and get the sleep out of our eyes."

Jace stared at her, confused for a moment, then he rose slowly from his spot on the floor. When Raine turned to Auron, she saw that he was already awake and sitting against the wall.

"Mornin' sunshine." He said with a wave.

"How long have you been awake?" Raine asked him.

"'Bout a minute. When you first yelled at Jace to get up." He replied and stood.

The initiation would start at nine o'clock. With being awake this early, the group had an extra thirty minutes to an hour to prepare and focus. They all donned their combat outfits. Jace and Raine's were the same as always, with Raine having a rope looped around on her belt, attached to something under her cloak. Auron's was slightly different than what Jace had seen, he wore an old cowboy hat over his black bandanna, which was wrapped around his head. He also wore a bandolier for ammunition over his chest, and black and red armor that matched his heavy armguard and gauntlet over his legs.

Alyss' change was the most different out of everyone there. Where she wore a simple purple dress and white hoodie the day before, now she wore a deep purple, sleeveless vest, a white corset-type garment that covered the lower half of her stomach with a couple of slim belts that held magazine loops, dust pouches, and her first-aid kit. A larger purple outline of her emblem was displayed on a white flag attached to her belt that covered her backside and extended down to just above her knees. Under the flag, she wore a pair of dark purple pants, and a pair of black boots that reached her knees with three white straps on both boots. Just as before though, she kept her hair in a ponytail with the bow and wore her necklace. On her hands, she wore a pair of black and purple striped, fingerless arm stockings reaching up to her upper arms. It was a vast difference between the calm and sweet-looking girl from yesterday, to the battle-ready Huntress-in-training they saw today. Althought to Jace, she looked just as sweet as before.

"You definitely look a lot different from yesterday." Jace remarked, drawing a smile from the girl.

"You didn't expect me to fight in a simple little dress, did you?" Alyss asked jokingly.

"Well I mean, Weiss can. But I guess not." He replied and they all sat around in the ballroom for an hour, playing Rummy to pass the time.

After a few games to get the two new players to warm up to it, the last game lasted quite a while. Everyone had different sets, triples, and runs laid out and everyone was down to one more card, just waiting for the right one to end the game. They didn't get the chance to see what Alyss was smiling about when Glynda's voice cut across the school through the intercom.

"Would the four new initiates please make their way to the cliff overlooking the Emerald Forest. Alyssia Wystar, Auron Karmine, Raine Daturas, and Jace Reznor."

"Damn. We'll have to finish this another time." Auron said everyone handed the cards to Jace, who then put them in his bag.

Jace stretched and shook his right arm around to loosen it up, then looked to the others. "Well, everyone ready?" He asked and received eager nods from the group. "Let's head out then."

Jace put _Standoff_ on his back, then led them from the ballroom and through Beacon. Alyss followed right behind, with _Soul Leaf_ sitting in a half-hoop on the back of her left shoulder. The next was Raine with both her weapons on her back, then Auron followed last, spinning a revolver on his right-middle finger.

Along the way, they drew curious looks from passing students who were on their way to class. Most of them were friendly, who nodded in greeting to the new faces. Some simply ignored them and hurried on to be early for class.

One glared daggers through Jace and scowled, then walked on. "The hell was his problem?" Auron asked as he walked next to Jace, placing the revolver back in its holster.

"His name's Cardin. He accused me of lying about my family and I ended up fighting him in a sparring match. Don't give him any attention." Jace explained.

Auron looked behind him and noticed that Cardin was doing the same. "Yeah, I'll ignore 'im. For now at least."

Before they made their way to the cliff, they ran into Jaune and Pyrrha, who were going over some of their homework before class.

"Hey Jaune, hey Pyrrha." Jace greeted, causing the two to turn to the group.

"Hey guys. You ready for your initiation?" Jaune asked with a grin.

"Yeah, we're all ready. Got any advice?"

"Not any that would help, I'm afraid," Pyrrha started to explain, "The initiation changes every year for new students. But for you, it may be similar since you would be first-years with us. For ours, we had to collect artifacts and bring them back to Ozpin. And the first person we laid our eyes on would be our partner for the remainder of our time here. Along with your team, you are supposed to help your partner and assist them if they need it. I was partnered with Jaune, Nora with Ren, Ruby with Weiss, and Yang with Blake," She paused and looked at the team of battle ready initiates.

"I believe you will all do well," She finished with a smile, "I believe we should get to class. Be careful." She said, then the two turned to leave.

"Oh, hey Pyrrha," Auron said and the two turned back around. "How 'bout this weekend for that sparrin' match?"

Pyrrha thought on it for a moment. The next week they would be free from school work while the Amity Colosseum would arrive and it would be prepared for the tournament. That meant that they had free time to use for what they wanted to do.

After a moment of thinking, she nodded slowly and smiled. "That sounds grand, Auron. I'll reserve a sparring area for us. I look forward to it."

Auron gave a wide grin. "Me too, I'll see ya then." He said and the two finally turned to leave.

"See you guys later, good luck!" Jaune called after the two walked away.

* * *

The four finally made their way to the cliff where Ozpin and Glynda were waiting for them. "Hello everyone. Was the party well?" The Headmaster asked with a smile.

"Yes sir. Thank you for letting it happen." Jace replied and matched the smile.

"That's good to hear. Now, would all of you kindly step onto these platforms?" Ozpin asked and the group complied.

"Your task is simple. Reach the abandoned ruins in the Emerald Forest, collect the two flags that rest there, and return them to me here. You will be partnered with the first person you lock eyes with, and you will help them during your enrollment here," Ozpin lowered his voice and took on an even more serious tone, "Understand that there will be absolutely _no_ outside help from any one of us. This will put you four alone against whatever beast lies in that forest. I apologize, but if you fall, it will be the end of it for you."

He looked through them and saw the determination in their eyes. He smiled and returned to his normal attitude. "I wish you four luck, and I look forward to your success."

Jace just had a thought. In his 'vision,' or whatever it was, Genesis said 'get ready to fly.' Looking over the forest from the cliff and standing on a platform, he quickly put two and two together. He took _Standoff_ from his back and held it to his head for a moment.

"Keep on watching, guys." Jace said silently, then stood ready.

The others noticed Jace draw his weapon and prepare himself, so they did the same. Auron checked his knee and hoped it would hold up for him, and brought out _Last Call_ , holding it to his side. Raine didn't draw her bow or rifle, she only braced herself and stood forward. Alyss took her staff from her shoulder and held it in her hand behind her, letting the blade come out toward the ground and the blunt end toward the sky.

Then, one by one and with little warning, the platforms launched them through the air and over the forest.

* * *

Jace would be lying if he said it wasn't horrifying, but extremely exciting flying through the air. As the wind rushed past his face, he couldn't help but grin. _"Flying feels pretty good."_ He thought to himself before he started to descend toward the ground.

"Sorry Gen." Jace said with a smile and placed the blunt side of _Standoff_ under his boots and held the hilt tightly. As he hit the ground, the sword bit into the dirt, breaking his fall with the aid of his aura. Jace rode it through the forest for one hundred yards as it drew a long line in the ground and slowly came to a stop.

"I'm gonna need to really sharpen you later." He said as he dusted the sword off and placed on his back, then he started to make his way through the forest.

* * *

Raine's cloak billowed furiously behind her as she soared trough the air. Being the lightest person of the group, she flew further than Jace did.

As she started to descend toward the ground, she brought out _Amaranth_ , then pulled an arrow, that was attached to the strong whipcord-like rope that was attached to her belt, and placed it on the bowstring. _"Thanks for the idea, Ashe."_ She thought to herself.

As she went below the treetops, she drew the string back and released the arrow, which deeply imbedded itself into the bark of a huge tree. She held on tightly to the rope as she swung around the tree multiple times before she let go and rolled onto the ground with another arrow already drawn on the string.

Seeing no Grimm close to her, she worked to get her rope arrow back.

* * *

Alyss was smiling widely as she enjoyed the feeling of actually flying through the air. She still held _Soul Leaf_ behind her in her right hand as she took in the sights around her.

Off in the distance to her right, it looked very cloudy, almost like it was raining and storming. A large streak of lightning cut across the darkened clouds, then she looked to the left, seeing the clear skies and the morning sunlight shine off the dew on the treetops.

As all things come to an end, Alyss' smile turned to a slight frown as she focused herself and she started to descend, holding her staff ready as she came into the treetops. She held it in front of her and when she went past a tree, she pulled the trigger and sent a burst of gravity rounds out, blasting the blade-end of the staff into the side of a tree. It bit deeply into the wood and Alyss spun around the shaft a few times and landed on top of it.

From her position, she saw next to nothing other than trees and rocks. She nodded to herself, swung down and held onto _Soul Leaf_ , then she put her feet onto the tree while she held the staff. Alyss pushed into the tree and pulled out her weapon, then landed on her feet on the ground. Once again she started to look around and found nothing, so she made her way toward wherever the ruins could be.

* * *

From where Ozpin was watching, it seemed to him that Auron would have the toughest time with a landing strategy. He looked through his large scroll along with Glynda and took a drink from his ever-present mug.

Auron frowned to himself as he flew through the air. It's not that he didn't enjoy it. It was a new experience for him and he doubted he'd get to do it again. He was annoyed that he really had no way of landing safely, at least that he knew of. Being the heaviest out of the new initiates, his descent started sooner and he fell faster.

He rolled his eyes and placed his weapon on his back, and prepared himself for…

Something.

Auron focused his aura into his right arm and shoulder, causing the red of the armguard to glow, and aimed straight for a tree. It was just his luck that it was a rather large and old red cedar tree. He slammed into the wood with his shoulder and broke the near-hollow tree down. The sound of the tree snapping and falling was almost thunderous and it carried through the forest.

Even Ozpin and Glynda heard it from the edge of the cliff.

"That is… one way to do it." Glynda said and shook her head.

"Yes it is… I do hope he's alright." Ozpin replied to her.

Auron stood up and shook himself back to his senses. "Don't need no fancy shit…" he said and dusted himself off. He checked his knee and made sure the impact did nothing bad to make himself limp around.

He inhaled a deep breath through his nose and smiled. "'Least it smells good now." He remarked at the fragrant smell from the tree he broke down.

* * *

Jace walked through the forest at a fast pace, always ready to draw _Standoff_ and fight something. He wondered where the ruins were exactly and what they would look like. Naturally, he would assume that it would be multiple ancient buildings in an area, probably with a few Grimm hanging around. Maybe he could find some things to take back to his house in Solitas for decoration. His thoughts were cut short when a small pack of Beowulves approached him and sniffed the air in his direction.

He brought _Standoff_ from his back with his right hand, then shot an ice shard at one of the beasts with his left. It pierced its head and it slumped to the ground, then the others came for him. Jace dodged their wild strikes and lashed out with his sword, taking the arm off of one. He dodged another strike aimed at his head and spun around to take two of the beasts' heads off with a wide swing. The one armed Beowulf struck at Jace again, this time the blow landed on his prosthetic arm. Jace grabbed the Grimm's snout with his left hand and set it ablaze. It thrashed around wildly before it came to a stop and died. As he was about to turn around to strike at the remaining two, he was only met with another sight.

Two Beowulves lying dead with arrows sticking from their heads.

"Damn it Raine, stop sneaking up on me!" Jace called out in mock anger as he went to pull the arrows from the Grimm.

Raine jumped down from a tree with a laugh. "Sorry, couldn't resist," She replied and held her arms out to her sides as she shrugged, "I guess this makes us partners, doesn't it?" She asked with a grin.

"Hmm, yeah, just like last week." Jace replied and handed Raine her arrows.

"Well, should we head out?" Jace asked and motioned his hand toward where he was heading.

"Yep. Let's go." Raine replied and Jace started walking, while Raine went back up in the tree to travel by branches.

* * *

"Hello Headmaster Ozpin!" Vivi called out as she made her way over to the two along with Will.

"Ah, hello Ms. Strife, Mr. Altman. How are you both?" Ozpin asked.

"We're well. We, mostly Vivi, wanted to stop by to see if we could watch how Raine handles herself." Will said as he greeted them.

"By all means, join us then," Ozpin said as the two stood just a few feet from them. "I've already lost Raine multiple times, she is very adept at staying hidden. Although, I suppose she has to be if she is a Ranger's apprentice." He remarked and drew grins from the two arrivals.

"How's she doing?" Vivi asked.

"She has already proven efficient in taking down the Grimm. She's silently killed ten alone with her bow and she killed two as they were standing behind the boy that is now her partner." Ozpin commented and smiled.

"And who is her partner?" Will asked this time.

"His name is Jace Reznor. I believe you've both met him."

* * *

Alyss was walking along with _Soul Leaf_ held ready in her right hand, like she was before she was launched and like she always holds it when she is ready to fight. She followed the loud noise from before wondering what caused it and, if it was one of the other three, hoped they were alright.

Before long, she encountered three Ursai that were also following the source of the sound. They quickly noticed her and started to come at her. She transformed _Soul Leaf_ into its submachine gun form and blasted at one of them with her gravity rounds until it was dead.

As the other two drew closer to her, she switched it back into its glaive form and stood ready. One dove at her and she jumped and kicked off of it. While in the air, she fired a short burst from _Soul Leaf_ , bringing the blade down hard into the other's head, killing it instantly.

She turned and stood ready for the last one, then heard a loud blast and watched as a large, searing hole was blasted in its chest and it dropped dead. After a few more seconds, Auron emerged from the trees to her left. "Oh… Hey Auron. Were you following that loud noise too?" She asked with a tilt of her head.

"Nope. I'm the one that caused it." Auron replied and drew a small gasp from the girl.

"How, exactly?" Alyss asked.

Auron smiled at her. "My landin' strategy. I crashed into a tree. Broke it right the fuck down," He replied and laughed. "So, ready to head out, partner?"

Alyss recovered from her shock and returned the smile. "Ready when you are."

* * *

Jace and Raine heard the gunshots ringing in the forest to their right as they walked on.

"Huh, I guess Auron and Alyss found each other." Jace said as he had _Standoff_ rested on his shoulder.

"Sounds like it," Raine replied and hopped down from the trees to walk next to him, "So… RainStorm?"

"Yeah. I launch you up and over something. With how fast you can draw and fire your arrows, we can really catch something off guard with it." Jace replied with a grin.

"It sounds like it would work, but we'd need to try it out sometime." Raine replied.

"I'm sure it'll work."

"How much further do you think the ruins are?" Raine asked.

"Shouldn't be too terribly far. I'm pretty sure we're supposed to get it done in a few hours at least. Hopefully we don't get lo-" Jace stopped short with his words as they came across a clearing, and what looked to be ruins a hundred yards away.

"Huh, think this is it?" He asked after a second of silence.

"I mean, it's ruins. But I doubt it would be this easy." Raine answered, then the two made their way toward the broken pillars.

* * *

"Hey Alyss…" Auron started as he looked to the shorter girl to his right.

"What is it?"

"I'd hate to ask, but could you take a look at my knee sometime? I don't wanna be limpin' on it if it acts up an' we're in a fight." Auron said and Alyss stopped in front of him.

"Sure, let me see it." She said, causing him to stop.

"That easy?"

"I healed Jace's arm when I didn't know him. I think I don't mind healing my partner's knee." Alyss replied with a smile.

Auron shrugged and gathered his aura in his right hand, then pressed it to the ground, causing two metal chairs and a leg rest to rise from the ground.

Auron went to sit down as Alyss spoke. "So that's your semblance? Pretty handy." She remarked and went to sit down as well.

Auron set his foot on the leg rest and unbuckled the armor, then rolled the pant-leg up for Alyss to see his knee.

"That's a really bad scar. What exactly happened to your knee?" Alyss asked as she looked it over.

"Back when I fought the Crimson Lance lieutenant, I lost my aura an' ended up gettin' an ACL an' MCL tear an' a broken bone somewhere in my leg. It ain't healed completely for some reason." Auron replied and sighed.

"Two tears? That sounds painful…" Alyss said and laid her hands on Auron's knee.

"I still don't know how I walked back to the house after that."

It all took two minutes, the moment Alyss's hands started to glow with aura, Auron started to feel a bit of relief in his knee already. "I didn't even know that it was makin' me feel somethin'." Auron remarked as Alyss pressed her hands into his knee a bit more.

"That happens I guess." The cat Faunus replied. After she finished with healing his knee, she took a breath and stood up.

"Thanks Alyss." Auron said and put the armor back on his leg.

"You're welcome." Alyss replied and they set off.

It took ten more minutes of walking until they reached the clearing with ruined pillars. As they approached, they could see Jace sitting on the ground. "Took you both long enough," He said and stood up.

"The flags aren't here." Jace finished and drew sighs from the two.

"So where's Raine at?" Alyss asked.

"She's seeing if she can spot more ruins. Any luck yet!?" Jace called out as he looked upward.

The others followed his gaze until they saw Raine on top of one of the highest pillars, looking around while aiming down the sights of _Shagahod_.

"Gimme another minute!" Raine replied and continued her search.

"Does anyone know what made that loud noise earlier?" Jace asked as he looked at the two again.

"Yeah that was me," Auron said and rolled his right shoulder, "Landin' strategy. Hit a tree an' took it down. Bright side is it was a cedar. Smelled nice."

The group lounged around in the area, leaning and sitting on broken pillars until Raine came down from the pillar she was on.

"Found something," She said and got everyone's attention.

"There's some ruins of some kind of castle that way," She pointed toward the trees to the east, "It looks like it has some towers and an old keep. Maybe some rundown walls too. Then down that way," She pointed down a long stretch of grass with numerous broken pillars and archways, "There's a few towers and a bunch of broken walkways in a canyon. Best bet would be the castle."

"So… I've never been to a castle before." Alyss stated.

"I doubt anyone here has." Jace replied.

"I have," Raine said, then all eyes turned toward her, "What? I lived in a cabin with my dad and my sister in the middle of the forest. There's a lot of ruins."

Auron shrugged and brought out a bag from the inside of his duster and opened it, the smell that came from it brought the others' attention. He took a piece of jerky out and stuck it in his mouth, then offered the bag to the others. "Want a piece? It's deer jerky. Mom made it before I left Mistral."

They each took a piece for themselves and chewed around on it. Jace's eyes widened a bit and he swallowed his bite. "This is really good." He said and finished the rest of his.

"It really is. How'd she make it?" Alyss asked.

"She threw a bunch of it in a bowl, poured a bunch of different sauces on it, mixed it up, then let it sit in the fridge for a few days. After that, she took it out an' dehydrated it," Auron explained and grinned, "This is all I got left. If they got the stuff in the kitchen, I might make some more."

"You're such a great member of this team." Raine laughed and finished her piece.

"Good to know I'm useful for somethin'." Auron replied and laughed loudly.

After a minute, the group stood up and stretched. "Let's head out." Jace said and they started to walk toward the ruins.

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: Here's the start of the initiation. It won't be as simple as they'd like, that much is certain.**

 **For Friday, either three things can happen with posting the next chapter. Either it'll be earlier than usual, _waaaay_ later than usual, or not at all. I'm going to my first concert and I have to be up early. I'm hoping to get it out early to avoid missing a day.**

 **But enough about my life!** **See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	32. Chapter 31: Capture the Flag

**AN: A bit of a warning if you've been waiting to binge watch Volume 4. This has a bit of a spoiler in a Grimm's name, but that's all. Nothing major.**

 **XxXxX**

 **Capture The Flag**

"You know, I don't wanna jinx it, but we haven't ran into much Grimm." Jace remarked as they made their way through the trees to the ruined castle.

I don't know about you, but I'm feelin' pretty damn happy," Auron said with a grin, "An' they hate that shit."

"True enough." Raine said with a laugh.

"I've been couped up in a hospital room for the past few weeks and I was in a month-long coma before that," Jace replied as he shook his right arm around, "I'm _extremely_ excited for this."

"I could tell that from how much we talked before." Alyss said from Auron's side.

Jace smiled at the words. "It's easy to see."

It took thirty minutes to navigate through the trees to the courtyard of the castle. Large stones littered the ground from the castle's fallen towers and walls. They navigated through the stones and stopped in front of main keep's front doors.

"Alright. Now what?" Auron asked.

Everyone looked around the area for any clues about where the flags would be. Auron pushed the near-rotted doors open and they slowly parted, then the old and rusty hinges broke off and the doors fell and crumbled on the ground, causing a crash of wood and metal.

"Should've expected that." Raine remarked.

"Yeah, whatever," Auron replied and peered inside of the darkened reception hall.

Alyss looked around one side of the building and Raine looked around the other side. Jace stepped forward and looked inside next to Auron. "So… you got Faunus DNA in ya, right?" Auron asked.

"Yeah. Why?"

"'Cause I can't see shit in here."

Jace sighed and rolled his eyes. "Give me a second," He said and stepped deeper into the room. Past the light from the wide-open doors, it was pitch-black. He gave his eyes a few moments to adjust to the darkness and looked around. "Gods, I can't get used to this." He said and shook his head. He saw broken down tables and chairs littering the floor and rotted picture frames and supports around the room. There were also rusted swords and other weapons scattered around as well. His gaze finally fell towards the back of the room and he saw the decrepit throne laying on its side from its legs being rotted away.

"Well would ya look at that." Jace said as he saw one of the flags behind the throne.

"I can't." Auron said with a smirk.

Jace glanced behind himself to give Auron a mock glare. "I guess you can't see me staring a hole through you either."

"Nope."

Jace shook his head and went to go retrieve the flag. He heard creaking in the ceiling as he grew closer to it. He exhaled nervously and quickened his pace toward the throne. When he arrived, he grabbed the flag and quickly walked out of the hall.

"You scared o' the dark or somethin'?" Auron asked mockingly.

Jace shook his head. " _You_ go in there and listen to all the creaking and tell me you'd wanna stay."

Auron grinned. "I'm good, thanks."

Jace sighed as he held the flag out to examine it. It was mostly green with white borders. It held the emblems of both Vale and Atlas combined, colored in white as well. It was connected to a metal pole that Jace stuck in the ground for now.

"Hey, you found one!" Alyss said cheerfully as she came back around the building.

"No thanks to Auron." Jace said playfully.

Auron shrugged. "Sorry. Ain't got the eyes for it."

"At least we have one." Alyss said with a grin.

"Jace," Raine said from behind them, making them jump. She continued before anyone could protest. "Springboard me up to the top of a tower." She asked.

Jace nodded and brought _Standoff_ from his back. He held the flat of the blade out and Auron raised an eyebrow. "The hell are you plannin'?"

"Our team move," Jace said and turned to Raine, "Ready?"

She nodded and jumped onto the blade. Jace used all his strength and launched her upwards to the top of the nearest tower. She landed on her feet at and looked around, seeing no sign of the other flag. She looked around the whole area and eventually found it on top of the other one. She peered her head over the side and looked down at the others. "It's on the other tower!" She called to them, "I'm gonna stay up here and scout around!" She said and brought her rifle out.

"Okay!" Jace called back, "Now we need to get to the top of the other tower." He said and the three walked over to it.

The entrance to the tower was open with a few bits of rubble in front of it. Alyss stepped in and looked at the stairs, then she stepped on the first. Being the lightest next to Raine, she figured she could make it up the wooden stairs with no problem. Her hope was proven wrong as the first rotten step broke under her weight. She jumped from surprise and she muffled a short scream with her hand. She took a deep breath and walked back outside.

"Yeah, no. Those stairs won't work." She said as she put her staff on her back, then she crossed her arms.

"Of course it won't be easy." Jace said with a sigh.

Auron had a plan and he grinned. "Hey Alyss. Ready for another launch?"

"I guess?" Alyss answered, unsure of what Auron was getting at, "What did you have in mind?"

"I'm gonna use my semblance an' launch ya up there. If it's wood, then it should hold you. They got the damn thing up there, didn't they?"

Alyss looked up to the top of the tower and sighed. "I guess there's no other way… Let's do it."

"Alright, you ready?" Auron asked her.

"As ready as I can be."

Auron nodded and sent his aura through his right hand, making the red of his armguard and gauntlet glow, and punched the ground. A pillar rose up from the ground under Alyss feet and sent her flying into the air. She landed on her feet on the stone edge of the tower and stayed there for a moment. She took a tentative step onto the wood of the tower and it fell out from underneath her, making her recoil back with a scream.

"What's wrong!?" Jace called up to her.

She leaned over the side and glared at Auron. "The wood fell out from under my foot! How about that!?" She called back.

"Then how the hell'd they get it up there!?" Auron asked with his arms outstretched.

Alyss shook her head and turned back to the flag. The top of the tower wasn't completely wooden. The stone, middle pillar stuck through the wood and the flag sat on it. She closed her eyes and exhaled a deep breath, then she jumped toward it. She landed on the stone and stopped next to the flag. This one was simple also, and light blue in color and had black borders. It had the blended emblems of both Vacuo and Mistral decorating it in black, but was otherwise unremarkable.

"I got it!" Alyss called out to the group, "Now how are we getting back down!?"

"We could jump!" Raine called out to them, "But I might need my aura to scout out more!"

"And I might need to heal someone!" Alyss called back and to the others.

Jace and Auron stared at each other with grins on their faces. "Well damn. Hmm," Jace thought of any ways they could get their teammates back down. There was no way the stairs would hold in both the towers, Alyss had proven that. He glanced at Auron and had an idea. "Think you could make a couple platforms going up so they can jump on?"

Auron thought for a moment on how to do it. He figured that he would have to make them go diagonally toward the top of the towers, and he would have to make them thick enough to where the dust-metal platforms wouldn't collapse from the impact of the girls landing on them, even though the two were the lightest out of them all. He'd also have to put enough in them so they don't come apart too quickly. But, both towers were spread out from each other by thirty yards. From all of that combined, it would-

"What'd you make your armor from anyway? I noticed the red in it start to glow." Jace wondered.

"Scraps from those Spider Tanks we fought. It works-"

"Hey! I'm seeing trees rustling a lot!" Raine yelled out, grabbing everyones' attention. "They're shaking way too much to be Beowulves!"

"Damn it…" Jace said and tore _Standoff_ from his back.

"It can't be friggin' simple can it?" Auron said in annoyance. He took a deep breath and sent a large portion of his aura to his arms and legs. "Ready!" He called out and slammed his palms to the ground as he pushed the aura through his limbs, making two large pillars shoot toward the tops of the towers. They came up short fifteen feet away and ten feet below the tops.

"Hurry the hell up! These ain't gonna last!"

The two Faunus didn't wait for another call and took a running start. Alyss used her natural athleticism to easily jump across the wood to land on the outer edge of the tower, then she jumped the gap and landed on the platform. She rolled a couple of times before returning to her feet and reaching the solid ground next to Auron.

Raine had her own athleticism, but she had most of her strength in her arms after training with her bow. She slung her rifle on her back and bolted forward as she took her bow in her hands. As she came to the edge of the her tower, which had an entire stone top, she planted one end of her bow into a crack on the floor, using the bow's flexibility to vault over the gap. She landed and rolled through, like Alyss, and shortly came to a stop next to Jace.

"Everyone good?" Jace asked and looked around.

"Yeah." Raine and Alyss answered at the same time.

"Fuckin' dust I'm tired now." Auron said as the pillars came crashing down.

"We need to get going before whatever Grimm that is gets here." Jace told them. He grabbed the flag from the ground and they all ran back through the forest, making it back to the other ruins in five minutes.

The group came to a stop within the pillars and looked back to the forest. "Damn it… those pillars… I can't run like that again for a bit." Auron said and tried to catch his breath as he took a knee.

"Then we'll have to fight," Raine said to them all, "Jace, send me up to the top of a pillar." Jace nodded and held his blade out.

"Let's put our scrolls on group call real quick," Auron suggested, "We can keep in contact without screamin' our heads off." Everyone nodded and the call was set up. Jace sent Raine to the top of the highest pillar and the rest looked to the trees.

"Auron, keep your rifle out. It'll give you time to rest." Raine said and looked toward the trees with her semblance.

Auron said nothing as he aimed _Last Call_ back where they came from. He laid it across an overturned pillar to steady it while his heart slowed its beats and his breathing calmed down.

"See anything, Raine?" Alyss asked the sniper.

"Trees shaking violently, mostly," Raine answered. She saw one of the towers go down in the distance, then the trees broke down at the edge of the clearing.

"Damn! Deathstalker, King, and Apex Taijitu!" She called to them. An Apex Taijitu still had the two heads of a King, but both were on the same end. It's left head was black and the other was white, with both colors swirling around its body until it was solid black at the tail. Both heads had longer fangs than a King, with two added to its bottom jaws, half as long as the top fangs. They had bone plating covering their eyes and the top parts of their heads, with two long slits for each eye to see out of. Under its jaws were armored as well, giving it the coverage it needed to protect its heads. They also had two short horns on the sides of its heads, both pointed backward.

"An Apex? Are you kiddin' me?" Auron shook his head in disbelief as aimed toward the large Grimm. Jace stood ready and took a deep breath with _Standoff_ in his hands. Alyss stood and pointed _Soul Leaf_ toward the Grimm in its submachine gun form.

Raine needed no invitation and opened fire, aiming for the Deathstalker first. Her high-impact gravity rounds found their mark and tore the stinger off of it in four shots. It screeched in pain as its stinger fell and bounced of its body. It slowed down in its advance and Raine turned her fire to the King Taijitu.

This one proved to be a bit tricky as it seemed to dodge her shots as if it knew where they would be placed. "Hmm, smart little fucker aren't you?" Raine remarked silently and ejected her empty magazine. She reloaded it quickly and took a guess on where to fire next.

She shrugged and fired off to the left and it dodged to its right, only to meet Raine's powerful sniper round. Raine looked on in a bit of surprise as its jaw was blasted off, leaving it hanging by a bit of skin. It thrashed and twisted on the ground as Raine switched targets to the Apex. She sent her aura into the barrel for a few short moments, then fired a charged shot. It connected straight into the right head's neck. The powerful round blew out its spine, leaving the whole head dangling limply.

As they grew closer and closer, Raine slung _Shagahod_ onto her back and brought out her longbow, then took out a light-blue tipped crystal arrow from her secondary quiver. She drew and fired in one swift motion and sent the ice-crystal arrow flying toward the Deathstalker, then she already had another on the way toward the Apex. The first struck the scorpion Grimm's claw, the force behind the arrow knocking it to the ground and freezing it there.

The second arrow hit the base of the Apex's body, sticking it to the ground as well. She switched arrows and pulled a volatile burn-crystal arrow from her quiver, then sent it flying toward the King. As the arrow struck it, it exploded, tearing that head off its body.

The Apex broke from the ice and bolted straight for the pillar Raine was on. It arrived and struck at the pillar, breaking it down and causing everyone to dive out of the way. Raine jumped from the pillar as she put her bow on her back and fell as she pulled her sword. The Apex looked up at her and opened its maw, looking to swallow her whole. A powerful blast from _Last Call_ jolted its head to the side, making it miss its opportunity as Raine fell past it. She stabbed her blade into the side of its neck to break her fall, then she kicked herself from it before it could try to throw her off. She landed next to the others and Auron blasted three more rounds into the Apex's head, each breaking off a piece of its bone.

It roared as it coiled itself, then it swung its tail towards Auron. He blocked it with his armguard but was sent flying into another pillar, breaking it down. "Aw what the hell is it with me breakin' shit today!?" He asked as he came back to his feet.

"Auron! Boost me towards it!" Jace called to him. Auron nodded and slammed his fist to the ground. He sent a diagonal pillar from under Jace's feet and he was sent flying toward the Apex. It looked at him and opened its mouth like it tried with Raine, and Jace flew straight towards it.

He sent a burst of air through his hand and he sailed to the side. He twisted around and sent the blade of _Standoff_ into its mouth, chopping off its jaw. It roared and thrashed around as Jace came back to the ground. It came to a stop after a few moments and turned to Jace in rage.

"Auron! Do the same with me!" Alyss called and ran toward it. She came to a stop underneath it and Auron sent her upwards with a pillar. She pointed her blade towards it and fired a long burst from _Soul Leaf's_ barrel, sending the blade piercing into its brain through the roof of its exposed mouth. Alyss fell to the ground and rolled out of the way as it crashed to the ground.

They didn't have much time to rest as the other head of the King grew closer to them. They regrouped together and stood ready for it. Raine had a thought and patted Jace on the shoulder to gain his attention. "RainStorm?" She asked, "It's as good a time as any to try it."

Jace nodded and the two ran forward. Jace held his blade out over his shoulder and dropped to a crouch, then Raine jumped on the blade. Jace pushed her upwards and sent her flying as he continued running toward it. The King followed Raine with its gaze as she sailed into the air. Jace arrived at it and sliced at its body, bringing its head down toward him and giving Raine her opening. She unslung her bow and fired four arrows in rapid succession. The first struck and stuck itself in the back of its head. The second struck the same spot and widened the gap, exposing its skull. The third cracked the skull and the fourth pierced the rest of the way through, striking its brain and ending it.

Raine landed on the ground in a roll and called her arrows to her as she went back to the others. "That worked better than I thought it would." She remarked.

"Well look at you two, already havin' a fancy team move." Auron remarked.

"We needed something to talk about when we found each other earlier." Jace replied.

They heard the screeching of the Deathstalker as it finally got its claw unstuck. It scuttled toward them as they all thought of how to handle it. "I remember how to deal with these." Raine said and brought her bow up.

"Dig an axe under its armor and rip it up?" Jace asked and she glanced at him. "What? It's how I did it before."

"No, you don't even have your axe," She replied and looked back at the threat, "I'll get close and take out its joints. Then you and Auron can take its claws off. Alyss can stay back in case someone gets hurt."

"That can work. Have at it." Auron said to her.

She nodded and ran forward to the side of it. Auron, Jace, and Alyss blasted at its head with _Last Call_ , _Atronach_ , and _Soul Leaf_ respectively, keeping it distracted while Raine moved into position. Their shots chipped off its bone bit by bit while Raine fired her arrows into its joints, locking up and immobilizing its legs. She went toward the other side as Auron and Jace moved in.

"Take it easy if you can," Jace said to Auron, "I'd say you're still tired from those platforms.

"You got no idea." Auron replied.

Jace went in and swung _Standoff_ in an uppercut, chopping at its left claw. It swung its other claw at him, but it was deflected by a pillar from Auron. Jace swung from the side this time and sent the claw to the side from the force. He saw an opening and brought _Standoff_ back up for an overhand arc. He brought the blade down into its joint with crushing force, severing it and sending it falling to the ground. It screeched and brought its other claw around to bash him away. He was sent flying and landed on his back with his right shoulder hitting part of a broken pillar. He yelled in pain as shoulder became dislocated through his aura. Alyss saw and rushed over to him as Auron dealt with the Deathstalker.

It swung its claw at him and he stepped back, letting it fly outwards. He dropped his sword and drew his revolvers in the blink of an eye, then he placed eight powerful shots to its joint. The claw fell limply to the ground and Auron picked his weapon up. He transformed it to its sword form and stepped up to the Grimm. He extended the tip of the blade and went under, stabbing _Last Call_ upward, sending his aura through the ground and using his semblance to send a shaft of metal to propel his strike, making the blade bit deep into the carapace of the Deathstalker. Auron exposed the barrel again and worked the lever of _Last Call_ , then fired off a blast of fire and lightning, freeing his sword and finishing the Grimm off for good as it screeched and died.

Raine recalled her arrows to her and they went to regroup with Jace and Alyss. "I think that's it." Auron said when they met up.

"Yeah… let's end that group call now," Jace said and the team did just that. He turned to Alyss as she worked with healing his shoulder, "You don't have to heal it fully. Just enough to move it around for now. My aura should do the rest." He said to her.

"Alright. We might still need our energy." She said, then Jace moved his arm around.

"Never fought an Apex before. That was something." Jace remarked.

"Hell, we're lucky it wasn't a damn Geist," Auron said with a shudder, "Those things creep me the fuck out."

"Yeah, I heard about those. I don't wanna fight one." Alyss remarked and they all stood in a circle.

"Hey Auron. What do you think of Slingblade? For what we did?" Jace asked.

Auron looked at him skeptically. He opened his mouth to reply, but a loud roar broke him from his thought. They all looked toward the source and a large Grimm broke into the clearing. It walked slowly though, as if looking specifically for something.

"Raine," Jace said nervously, "What is that…?"

She looked toward it and magnified her vision. "I… I don't know. I don't recognize it."

"What's it look like?" Alyss asked.

"Umm… It's big, it has four eyes, spikes on its back and the backs of its front legs, and a horn on its head." She answered, making Jace's blood run cold.

"Oh Oum no… That's an Armaddon." He said and felt pain kick up in what his prosthetic had replaced. He held it closer to his body as he gritted his teeth.

"Shit…" Auron shook his head. "What goddamn now?"

"Jace, you okay?" Alyss asked.

"Yeah… it's just that pain again," He said and turned to Raine.

"Raine, how much ice arrows do you have left?" Jace asked his partner.

Raine looked in her second quiver and counted. "I have four ice, four volatile, six bolt, and four gravity arrows that haven't been tested. What're you thinking?" She asked and held her bow ready.

"Me and Auron can try to distract it. You get into place and try to freeze its back legs. Then try out those gravity arrows. Maybe they'll help really well," Jace gulped nervously and turned to Alyss, "Stay back. We're gonna need your semblance."

Alyss nodded quickly. "Alright. Be careful with it." She said to them.

"Get the scrolls back on group call," Auron said, "We'll need to stay in touch." He said and they followed the order.

The three broke off from Alyss, then Raine broke off from Jace and Auron. Auron fired _Last Call_ at the Armaddon from a distance to gain its attention as Raine worked around to the side. The Grimm grew closer to them and sent a blast of fire from its mouth toward them and they dodged out of the way. Auron came to his feet and sliced out at its front-left leg, drawing a shallow gash in it. It roared and swung its head toward him, knocking him down. Jace came up to its other side and swung _Standoff_ upward into its unprotected belly. That caused a deeper gash as Jace noticed something that confused him.

Scars.

 _"What…?"_ He thought in confusion.

The Armaddon swung its head toward Jace and caught him as he was distracted. It's bladed horn struck his right shoulder and drew a gash there as he was sent to the ground. It roared and walked up to him, then its mouth started to glow with fire.

It didn't get the chance to burn its target before a purple-tipped arrow slammed into its front-right leg. Then another imbedded itself into the ground a few feet away. The arrows glowed dark purple and the Armaddon's leg was pulled toward the arrow in the ground, causing it to blast it's fire into the air. Auron rushed to it and swung _Last Call_ in an uppercut, powered by recoil, and sent the blade into an unarmored part of its leg. He drew a very deep cut in it before the Armaddon sent a torrent of fire at him, causing him to back away. It roared again and pulled hard on its leg, pulling the arrow free from its leg and freeing itself. That little bit of time gave Raine the time to form a plan.

She sent all her ice arrows into its hind legs, freezing them in place. It snarled and twisted its head around to burn the ice from its body, but a gravity arrow slammed deeply into its eye. Another buried itself into its front-left leg. It's head pulled tight against its leg as the arrows glowed, then it fell forward from the weight on its damaged front-right leg, leaving it vulnerable.

Jace stood up slowly and stared in disbelief at the beast. He regrouped with Raine and Auron, then Alyss arrived shortly after. "Umm… okay… we have it trapped." Jace said and took a deep breath.

"The question is, how do we kill it?" Alyss asked.

"We need to think quick. I don't know how long these arrows will last." Raine said.

Jace walked around it and brought his scroll out. "I'm taking a few pictures… Maybe Port and Ozpin would want to… see…" He stopped in his tracks when he saw the scars again. Now that he could stop and see, they looked eerily familiar to him. One was long and straight, as if some blade had sliced it. The other was round and jagged, like something had pierced it. Jace snapped a picture and quickly went over to the other side. If his suspicions were correct, then there would be a smaller scar, mirroring the round scar but in a smaller size. He nearly dropped his scroll from seeing the smaller scar. He shakily took another picture and went back to the others.

"L-lets kill this thing already…" He said and took a deep breath.

"What's wrong?" Alyss asked.

"I… I think this thing followed me…" He said quietly.

"You'll have to tell us about that later," Raine said quickly, "Any ideas on how to kill it?"

Jace nodded and looked over it again as he shuddered. "Okay… we're gonna need a lot of force to cut its head off. I have the heaviest weapon, so I'll be cutting it. Auron, you use your semblance to force _Standoff_ up with my swing to give it more power. Raine could jump in the air and stomp on it too, just to make sure. That'll hopefully do it."

Everyone agreed on the course of action and stood ready.

Raine ejected her magazine and pressed a small button on the receiver. The chamber for the rounds widened and extended to hold larger rounds. She reached to her belt and pulled out a single, larger gravity round and fed it into _Shagahod's_ receiver. She charged the bolt dust barrel and closed the ports, then stood ready. Jace, for added power, activated his semblance.

He began the upward arc with _Standoff_ and Raine jumped into the air. Auron sent aura through his leg to the ground to send a pillar to help the sword along the way and on the downward arc. Raine landed on the blade with all her weight, simultaneously firing her rifle straight up into the air, causing her to stomp with more impact, and sent the blade down hard.

 _Standoff_ came down with the force of a meteorite, biting deep into the Armaddon's neck and severing its head with an earth-shattering blow. Jace pulled his sword from the ground and stood back from it, but he noticed it didn't start to evaporate like a normal Grimm. As everyone started to step backward, they noticed small flames start to build at the beast's neck.

The flames started to intensify after a moment, and Jace could only guess at what would happen.

"Get away from it!" He yelled and they broke into a sprint, just a couple of seconds before the carcass of the Armaddon exploded and sent the team to the ground. They got far enough from it to keep from serious injuries, but they each were hit with bone shrapnel and rocks breaking through their aura.

"Why is it just my damn shoulder today…?" Jace asked and pulled a few pieces of bone from his right shoulder, where it wasn't protected by his spaulder.

The one that took the worst of it was Raine, who took a rather large bone shard in her left forearm the length of a knife. She took the injury calmly and the bone started to evaporate, leaving a gaping hole in her arm the size of a large golf ball.

Before anyone could react, Raine already had her first-aid kit out and started to clean the wound and slow the blood flow. "Alyss, semblance please." Raine requested through gritted teeth.

The cat Faunus quickly rushed over to Raine and placed her hands over the wound, pulsing her semblance as hard as she could. Jace and Auron took cloth from their own kits and started to clean their own cuts and scratches, waiting for their auras to come back and heal them. After a few minutes of doing that, Alyss finished with Raine's arm.

As Jace and Auron made their way toward the girls, Alyss looked at them both tiredly, "I think we should head back now. This… took the rest of my energy out of me." She said and struggled to her feet. When she got there, she almost fell over before being caught by Jace.

"Don't worry, I got you." He said and lifted her back to her feet.

"Thanks Jace," Alyss said and felt heat in her cheeks from the way Jace held her up.

"Can we go now?" She asked with a weary smile.

Everyone nodded and they gladly walked toward the cliff where Ozpin waited.

* * *

Jace, Auron, Raine, and Alyss stood with their arms behind them in attention and in front of the Headmaster's desk.

"You four make for quite the group," Ozpin started and gave a smile, "From your very different backgrounds, the reasons you came here, your fighting styles and attitudes, you are all brought together for one reason. To become Hunters. I have one question for you…"

"Why do you want to walk this dangerous road?" Ozpin asked, looking through the faces that each student wore. Every one filled with determination, but behind them were deeper feelings and emotions.

"To be honest… it used to be because I wanted a good fight," Jace started, "I wanted to go and battle Grimm just to have that thrill. The thrill of battle like a warrior from the old days long before the war. After what me and Genesis went through… I don't think I want that as much. Now, I want to be his living legacy," He said and looked up toward the ceiling, "To carry on both his and our dad's soul throughout all my life. I live for both of them and I'll always fight for their memory. Not because of glory or the thrill or anything like that, but for them." He answered with conviction, then took a deep breath.

"I'm workin' to be the Hunter that my dad never got the chance to be," Auron looked out the large windows and thought about the whole of Beacon. If things were different, he would've been going to Haven. "He raised me with all the knowledge he got from Shade an' gave me what he knew himself. I'm the last person with my family's knowledge, an' I'll work to keep that goin' too. Whether it's a family by blood, or a family of brothers an' sisters-in-arms." He answered, remembering every detail of why he was there.

"I'm part of the only family in the Rangers," Raine started with a sigh, "All the others are just one member of their families, but I come from a line of them. My grandpa, my uncle and dad, and my sister. I'm worried that when other Rangers or apprentices look at me, they just see a girl that's only there because of her family's name. I want to prove that I belong. I want to prove that after all my training, I deserve to be there. I want to keep the respect that my family's name has. I also want to fight and make this world better for both Humans and Faunus," She took one glance over to Jace and Auron, then back to Ozpin, "I want to work to help prevent another war and I want to try to keep things like what happened to both Auron and Jace from ever happening again. No one deserves that." She answered and glanced back to the two boys, who nodded to her.

"I know there are injuries that doctors can't fix, like nerve damage or a lost limb," Alyss took a deep breath and looked at Jace and Raine's arms, then Auron's knee, "By becoming a Huntress, I can train with my semblance, evolve it, and maybe I could heal severed limbs, nerve damage, blindness, and severely fatal injuries. I want to be able to help people like that. Like when I met Jace, if I can heal scars on someone to make them feel happy and more confident, give them something back that they've lost, I'll do it without hesitation no matter how tired my semblance makes me. Being a Huntress can take me to new places where I can do that for more people." She answered and gave a smile toward Jace, who smiled back at her.

Ozpin looked through each face again and saw the eyes of each initiate burning brightly with passion. He smiled at them and spoke again. "Very noble reasons… Jace Reznor, Auron Karmine, Raine Daturas, and Alyssia Wystar. You four collected the banners carrying the emblems of Faunus and humanity's hope. The emblems of Vale, Mistral, Vacuo, and Atlas. You four also collected very valuable information on tactics to combat Armaddons, and even Apex Taijitus…"

"From this day forward, you will be known as team Jackdaw. Led by you, Mr. Reznor," Ozpin pointed to Jace, "Your dorm is located at the very end of the hall on the third floor of the building, your belongings have been brought there already. After the Vytal Tournament, your classes will officially start with the rest of the first-years. But you may attend them for the remainder of the week. For now, I would like for you to go to the nurse and take care of what Ms. Wystar could not. And then go to the dining hall and get something to eat afterward. You've more than earned it."

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: The initiation is over, and now we officially have a new team. Team JKDW. Now that that's over with, we can get into the final two weeks before the festival.**

 **This chapter went through a major rewrite. Originally, I had them go to where RWBY and JNPR fought the Nevermore and Deathstalker, but I decided against that. I think they needed somewhere else to go for their fight.**

 **I hope I did well with the Grimm here. I mean, I know it's a Deathstalker and a couple of Taijitu, but if you know what you're doing, you should be good. And with the Armaddon, I think I did well with it. Sure, it _did_** **go down rather easily, but that's because of Raine and her special arrows. If she wasn't there, then it wouldn't have went smoothly at all.**

 **Then there was the Apex Taijitu. That one was interesting to think of. Now, I'm off to a concert.**

 **See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	33. Chapter 32: Days Go By

**Days Go By**

When the group of weary, newly-initiated students finally reached the cafeteria, they saw next to no one there. There were a few students doing a bit of homework while they ate, but otherwise it was empty.

"Oh hey, peace and quiet while we eat." Alyss said tiredly.

They went to grab their meals and sat down at a table, then remained silent as they ate the food quickly. After eating, they took their plates to the garbage, dumping the scraps and returning the plates to the racks outside the kitchen, then they sat back down for a bit.

Jace brought out his scroll and earphones, then started to listen to music as he laid his head down. "I'm so freaking tired right now."

"I made two really long platforms an' had to hold 'em there. That's more than what I ever did with my semblance. I'm tired as hell too." Auron replied.

"And I used my semblance to scout out a lot. Plus that damned bone shard didn't help." Raine said.

"And I healed your knee," Alyss pointed at Auron, "And your shoulder," She pointed to Jace's compression-bandaged shoulder, "And your arm," She pointed at Raine, "And that one took a lot out of me." She gave a tired smile.

"I know all of you did more than me, but… that Armaddon…" Jace replied to them all.

"Speaking of that, you said that Armaddon followed you?" Raine said and tilted her head.

Jace lifted his head up and nodded. "Back when we got out of that place and met team RWBY and Oobleck and it knocked me back through the trees, Genesis shot a huge shard of ice at it and it went through. Then Ruby sliced at it with her scythe and knocked it away," He sighed as he balled his right hand tightly into a fist, "That one today had those scars in the exact spots."

"So you're sayin' you got some revenge?" Auron asked with a grin.

Jace's expression lightened and he gave a small smile. "I guess I did,"

"Let's get to finding our room and sleep." Jace said and they all stood up to leave. He moved his left arm around and groaned. "Oum, I'm gonna have to spend an hour on my prosthetic."

* * *

"Ozpin said third floor, right?" Alyss asked with a yawn as they walked up the stairs of the dormitory building.

"I'm pretty sure he did, far end of the hall. I really hope we don't get lost." Raine said, then the team reached the top of their floor

As they stepped further into the hallway, they could see at least twenty doors for the dorms. "There's a lot of people here. Sometimes I forget that." Jace said and they walked on.

A few seconds later, they saw a door open and a familiar platinum-haired girl appeared, followed by her less-than-excited team.

"Hey guys." Jace called out to them and wearily waved his hand.

"Hello Jace, I take it your initiation went well?" Weiss answered before the others got to.

"My shoulder really hurts, but yeah. Playing capture the flag is always fun." Jace replied as the two teams met in the hallway.

"Sooo… capture the flag?" Yang raised her eyebrow and grinned.

"Yep. We had to go find some ruins an' get two flags from 'em." Auron answered, then team RWBY noticed all the cuts and bruises.

"Are you guys alright?" Ruby asked in concern.

Alyss nodded. "Just _really_ tired."

"That's good. Well, being tired isn't _good_ , it's never good. Especially when you're in Port's class and he catches you dozing off and then he has you try to repeat what he just said which is _really_ embarrassing because you didn't hear-" Ruby went on, but Blake nudged her arm, getting her to stop rambling before it got worse. She looked to Blake and nodded. "But it's good that's the only thing wrong."

"We're all pretty tired after all that," Auron said and shrugged his shoulders, "There was a Deathstalker, a King Taijitu, an Apex Taijitu, an Armaddon, stuff like that."

"An Armaddon and an Apex? Man, you guys got the fun stuff." Yang sighed sadly.

"Fun?" Raine questioned her and brought her bandaged arm up, "A bone shard through your arm isn't too fun." She chuckled.

"Ow, that does sound bad." Yang agreed.

"What's your team name? And who's the leader?" Ruby asked and looked through the four of them.

"You're lookin' at Team JKDW." Auron said with a grin.

"And Jace is our leader." Raine finished and nudged Jace's arm.

"What they said." Jace said and grinned.

"So you're a leader too? Ooohh we can have leader meetings with Jaune sometimes!" Ruby said excitedly.

"Congratulations Jace, I'm sure you'll do well." Blake said to him.

"He did already," Alyss started with a smile "He knew what to do with the Armaddon and told us to do it. It worked out fine and no one died."

Jace shook his head and grinned. "Thanks Alyss, but it was really all of us."

"Yeah, but you did tell us the right things to do." Auron said to him.

"Oh yeah, before I forget, I want you guys to take a look at something real quick." Jace said and brought out his scroll.

"What is it?" Yang asked.

"Have patience, you dolt." Weiss said to her, then Yang stuck her tongue out at her.

Weiss shook her head and sighed good-naturedly. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Here it is," Jace said and held his scroll out to them, "Any of you recognize this?" He asked when he showed the pictures of the Armaddon.

They each took a few seconds to look at the pictures. "Is that… the same Armaddon that we encountered?" Blake asked in confusion.

"It looks like it. It's got the scars from Ruby and Gen, but I don't understand why it would be there during _our_ initiation. Like it followed me." Jace said in confusion.

"Maybe these ones can hold a grudge. How'd you guys deal with all the Grimm?" Ruby asked, then looked at them excitedly.

They explained everything to team RWBY from Auron breaking multiple things, Jace's right shoulder taking multiple hits, castle ruins, the four large Grimm and how they kept the Armaddon down and subdued, and how they sliced its head off. "We basically hit it _really_ hard." Auron finished the description.

"Oh, and they explode when they die. That's how Raine took a bone shard in her arm. It was about the size of a baseball." Jace exaggerated with the last part.

"More like a golf ball," Raine corrected, "But it didn't matter. Alyss was able to heal it."

"And it took the rest of my energy. Now I think I'm the most tired out of everyone." Alyss said with a tired smile.

"Healing my dislocated shoulder didn't help either." Jace remarked.

"Or my knee." Auron added.

"Wow, it looks like you guys were in a pretty Grimm situation," Yang remarked and everyone went silent.

"Come on guys! That was a good one!"

Jace shook his head and suppressed a grin. "What were you guys about to do, anyway?"

Weiss recovered from her glare toward Yang and turned to Jace. "We were about to go to the library and study while we can," She said and cast another glance toward Yang, "And _you_ will not coerce me with your body," She realized what she just said and blushed furiously as she turned back to the others, "I-um-" She stuttered and Yang put her arm over her shoulders.

"Me and her are dating," She answered for her, "See Snowflake, it was easy to tell them."

"When did that happen?" Alyss asked and smiled even wider.

"The Friday before the party, actually," Weiss answered lowly, "I didn't know if I should have brought it up then. At the time, nearly no one other than our team knew."

"We won't get into details." Yang told them.

"Please don't." Ruby said and rolled her eyes at them.

"Just know that we are happy together, no matter what anyone says." Weiss leveled her gaze at the four.

"Hey, I think it's really nice." Alyss said through a yawn.

Raine shrugged her shoulders. "I think you're cute together."

Jace smiled and shrugged as well. "I'm happy if my friends are happy. Same gender or not."

"Gods I'm gonna sound like an ass, but I _do_ kinda think its weird," Auron said and Weiss shot him a look. She narrowed her eyes at him and he raised his hands up defensively. " _But,_ it's like my mom always told me. As long as two people are happy, it don't make a bit o' difference what I say or what anyone else says. So I say go for it."

"Good way to look at it." Yang grinned and Auron shrugged.

Weiss nodded, and then smiled as Yang kissed her cheek. "Good. I don't particularly feel like yelling."

"And that just makes it better." Ruby laughed and Weiss shot her a glare.

"I believe we should get to studying." She said and drew a sigh from the brunette.

Weiss dragged her team off to the library to study with the exception of Yang, who stayed back without the heiress noticing. "What're you guys up to Friday?" She asked and the four shrugged.

"I'll probably be gettin' ready to fight with Pyrrha." Auron replied.

"Most likely nothing. Why?" Jace asked in return.

"Because I wanna take you guys out for some celebratory drinks. Interested?" Yang asked and grinned.

Jace looked around and everyone nodded. "For that, preparin' can wait." Auron said with a laugh.

"Yeah, that sounds good. Looks like I get to have my first drink in Vale." Jace said, drawing a short gasp from Yang.

"You haven't drank any beer or whiskey or anything?" She asked in a hushed tone.

"Nope, not yet. I was about to, with Gen, but then everything happened."

"Got any idea for your first one?" Auron asked and leaned against the wall.

"Well, Gen suggested Double-chocolate flavored vodka, so I guess I'll start from there." Jace answered.

Yang gave him another grin. "Startin' off a bit strong, huh? Well, if you ca-"

"YANG XAIO LONG, YOU ARE NOT SKIPPING THIS STUDY SESSION!" She was cut off by Weiss screaming from down the hall, who stormed toward the group for Yang.

"So much for not yelling. Well, I'll seeOW OW OW! LET GO OF MY EAR!" Weiss grabbed Yang and pulled her away, leaving the new team to themselves.

"Later guys!" They called after them.

Now that the girls left them, team JKDW went to search for their room. They reached the end of the hall and saw only one door on the left.

"I guess this is it." Jace said and held his scroll up to the door handle. He pressed on the 'unlock' icon that popped up on his scroll, then they heard the lock disengage.

Jace opened the door and they saw their belongings laid on or next to the beds. "Home sweet home," Jace said and smiled tiredly, "We can worry about organizing this stuff tomorrow. Sweet Oum, let's just sleep," He went and sat on the bed with his things.

"This is actually pretty comfortable."

As soon as he said that, he heard Alyss and Auron fall into their beds and fall asleep almost immediately.

"We should've expected that." Raine said with a tired grin.

Before long, Jace's scroll received a message from Ozpin.

 _'Mr. Reznor, I forgot to mention the lockers your team will be using. Their numbers will be 115, 116, 118, and 119. I hope you find them well.'_

"We have lockers. We can take care of that tomorrow too." Jace said and fell back in his bed.

That was quickly followed by Raine. They all had fallen into their beds with their combat outfits, too tired to even change.

* * *

Considering that they fell asleep around eight the night before, Jace was able to wake up rather early. At almost seven in the morning, he raised himself out of bed and went to take a shower. He decided against waking his team up so they can rest more, especially Alyss since she seemed to be the most drained out of them.

 _"Huh, my team…"_ He thought to himself with a smile and stepped toward the bathroom.

"Good morning, Jace."

Jace looked behind himself to see his partner sitting up in her bed. "Morning, Raine. Sleep good?" He asked his shortest teammate.

"Kinda. Arm's a lot better too. Sore as hell though.

"Yeah, same with my shoulder," Jace said and looked at the bandages around it, "I don't know what it was about yesterday, but it just seemed like a magnet for getting hit."

Raine laughed quietly. "Just like how Auron kept breaking things," She said and turned to their teammates, "I'm actually surprised he isn't awake yet. Alyss I can understand, but not Auron." Raine remarked and stood up.

"Well, he did say that those platforms took a lot from him. I don't think he could hardly keep up with us when we were running," Jace replied and yawned.

"Anyway, you need in here before I take a shower?" He asked and pointed to the bathroom door.

"No, go ahead. Remember, we still need to organize." Raine responded to her new leader.

"Yeah, I know. It'll be a fun day." Jace remarked and walked into the bathroom.

* * *

"All I'm sayin' is I'm gonna be fightin' Grimm, I don't wanna worry about comin' back here an' gettin' decapitated by a damn headboard." Auron had protested the idea of bunk beds after it was suggested by Ruby during breakfast.

"Hey, watch your language around Ruby. She's a bit too young for it." Yang said and poked her sister in the side.

"Yaaaannngg! I've heard worse stuff from you!" Ruby responded and drew a laugh from Yang.

"Sorry," Auron said and grinned, "Might work for you guys, but… I'm good."

"Come ooonn! As long as you have nails and ropes and books you'll be good!" Ruby persisted, not letting the subject go lightly.

"Wait a minute, where did you get rope?" Alyss asked.

"I can't even remember now." Weiss replied, and the others said the same.

"You're not using my rope. That was my landing strategy." Raine commented.

"Oooohh, what _else_ is that rope for?" Yang asked playfully as she raised her eyebrows.

"Nothing, I swear. Rope arrows are useful." Raine answered.

"I'm sure her mind isn't as depraved as yours, dear." Weiss said and glanced at Raine, "I would hope not, at least."

"Oh you love it and you know it." Yang kissed her cheek.

"Okay okay okay! Let's not go there!" Ruby exclaimed toward the two, then she turned back to the matter at hand as she turned toward Jace. "Did you and Genesis have bunk beds?"

"No, we had separate rooms when we grew up," Jace replied as he finished up with fixing his prosthetic, "I… don't really know if bunk beds are the best for us." He said and drew a sigh from Ruby.

"Guuyyss! Help me out here!" Ruby pleaded with her team, who all shrugged.

"Sorry Rubes, not my place to decide how they sleep. Their loss though." Yang said and turned away.

"I'm sure it only works for us because we don't have the weight that Jace and Auron have." Blake said and returned to the book that Jace had lent her.

After having her suggestion shot down left and right, Ruby sighed heavily. "But they can sleep on the bottom bunks!" She turned to her partner.

"Weiss! I know you were excited about bunk beds when we set our room up! Come on, tell them!" She went on, causing Weiss to pinch the bridge of her nose in annoyance and embarrassment.

"Ruby, please. They don't want bunk beds, just let them be." She said and exhaled.

"Fine…" Ruby finally gave up and laid her head on the table.

Yang reached over and squeezed Weiss' hand, causing her to lighten her tone. "It's just their preference. You can't change that."

Blake put her hand on her leader's shoulder. "I think I like the idea of being the only ones with bunk beds. Don't you?"

Ruby thought it over for a moment and raised her head back up with a smile. "Y'know what? Yeah, that's pretty great."

"I'm sure we all have our own plans. We should actually probably get back and get things straightened out. You guys ready?" Jace asked and looked at his team. They all nodded and stood up then, they turned to leave

* * *

"Actually, I want to show Professor Port those pictures of the Armaddon. You guys want to come along?" Jace asked when they were halfway to the dorms.

"I'll go. I'd like to see how he's been after that hunt." Raine said and stood next to Jace.

"I'm gonna head back to our room an' get my stuff moved out of the way." Auron said and then Alyss stepped next to him.

"I'll do that too. I'm actually still pretty tired." She said and they separated.

Jace and Raine made their way to see Professor Port, and Auron and Alyss went back to the dorm. As Raine and Jace walked through the nearly empty halls, Jace felt it was a different feeling than before.

"Feels kinda weird walking through here as a student rather than a visitor." Jace said before they arrived at the Grimm Studies hall.

"I've only been here for the tour, so I wouldn't really know. Emowyn told me it's a good school, though." Raine replied and they walked into the room.

"Well if it isn't two of the first _Armaddon Slayers_!" Port called out when he noticed the two walk in.

"I somehow figured that you'd already know about that." Jace replied to the teacher.

"Yes, Ozpin has already showed me what you four have accomplished yesterday. This will help the Kingdoms a great deal." Port said and brought up a video of the fight on the projector screen.

"Huh, I guess that'll work. How have you been, Professor?" Raine asked after a few seconds.

"I have been well, thank you for asking. What about you two? Or your father, Raine?" The Professor asked as he stepped away from his desk.

"I've been fine, it's been a good time so far and now I'm a leader. Never thought that would happen." Jace replied with a smile.

"I'm good too. And dad's been doing well. He was a bit worried when I set off for Vale, but he's alright." Raine said.

"That's good to hear from the both of you." Port replied and Jace brought out his scroll.

"Do you want a couple of closer pictures of that Armaddon?" Jace asked.

"Ah, yes it certainly wouldn't hurt. Here is my number…" After a minute or two, Jace sent the photos to the Professor.

"Thank you Mr. Reznor. You should be happy to know that I will be teaching about them for the remainder of time before the break next week. It will start tomorrow as I already had plans for today's lesson. Will your team be attending any classes in that time?" Port asked and Jace merely shrugged his shoulders.

"We could. I know it wouldn't hurt. What do you say, Raine?" Jace asked his partner.

"I don't mind. I guess we could learn more about possible strategies against them at least." Raine said, then Jace thought of something else.

"That video shows the Armaddon explode right? That's a really important thing." He said and Port nodded in confirmation.

"Okay, good. Well, we'll get out of your hair now. We might be here tomorrow, we might not, but today we need to get our room organized. See you sometime, Professor." Jace said and turned to leave.

"Good day to both of you. It was a pleasure to see you again."

* * *

The two made their way back to their dorm as the school day picked up and students made their way to class. Once again drawing looks from each one they passed.

"I guess they're still trying to figure us out." Jace remarked and Raine chuckled to herself.

"Me more than you probably. I think I'm the only other person that wears a cloak other than Ruby," She said and then thought of something else, "Plus they probably keep losing sight of my body below my neck." She said in regards to her cloak.

Jace laughed at that. "Yeah, I guess they'd have to do a double check then. Are you always gonna wear your cloak?"

"I doubt it. I'm just so used to wearing it all the time," Raine answered and grabbed the hem of her cloak, "I'll probably just put it up until I need it again."

They arrived at the dorms and quickly went to their room. As they arrived at the door, it was already cracked open. They walked in and saw Alyss dozing peacefully on her bed and Auron was sitting near the window.

"Welcome back, you two." He greeted and stood up.

"She's still that tired? I guess her healing _did_ take more out of her than what we thought." Raine said in worry.

"Actually, she told me that she just didn't sleep good last night. Said it's strange to be sleepin' in a new room after so long." Auron told them and it put the two at ease.

"That makes sense. I woke up a few times last night too," Jace said, "How long has she been asleep?" He asked and Auron checked the time.

"About half an hour, really," Auron replied and looked over to the sleeping girl, "She said to wake her up when you got back, so have at it." He said and stepped toward the bathroom.

Jace shrugged and walked to his sleeping teammate, then nudged her arm, "Hey Alyss, we're back. Wake up." Alyss stirred from her nap and sat up, then looked at Jace with her eyes half-open.

"Wake up sleepyhead. We have organizing to do." Jace said with a smile and Alyss finally stood up and stretched.

Jace heard a small purr escape her as she finished stretching. "Alright then, what do you think we should do?" Alyss asked and looked around the room.

Jace looked around and thought on what to do. He only kept a simple room back at his house, and didn't really know what to do with three others in the same room. "We could have the four desks set up at the window, back to back and longways toward the door." He suggested.

Auron stepped back out into the room and looked around also. "We can always try it an' if we don't like it, we can figure somethin' else out." He said and they started to move everything around, then they finally moved the desks to the position Jace suggested.

"This actually looks pretty good so far," Jace said as he looked at the positioning of the desks. "That's all I got. Anyone else?"

"We could have two beds to each side of the room. Two can have a nightstand in between them and the other two can have the same." Raine suggested and everyone just went with it.

After a few minutes of shifting things around again, the beds were set up exactly how Raine said. "And we could put a dresser on both sides for each set of partners." Alyss said, then things were moved around again.

"Y'know Raine, if Preacher was here, he'd be complainin' up an' down the halls about bein' too old for this." Auron remarked with a laugh.

Raine couldn't help but laugh as well, knowing how the man was. "You're right about that. Emowyn's told me so much about him, too. Is it true that he got his coffee recipe from Doctor Oobleck?" She asked and caused Auron to groan.

"Don't remind me. I don't think I ever got over how much that shit burnt." He replied and shook his head.

"Hmm, well, whatever works for him." Raine responded and they all looked around the room again. It was definitely starting to look better than before.

"Hang on a second…" Auron said and looked at the empty spaces in the corners and at an unused table.

"How 'bout we put that table in place o' the desks, an' put the desks in the corners near the door?" He suggested and they took another look around the room.

"Yeah, that'll work." Jace said after they finished moving things around for the last time. The corners were now occupied by their desks, two to a side, and the table was now in front of the window with one end toward the door.

Now came the decorating. Jace didn't have much, he only pinned his old pictures up on the wall in front of his desk and laid his cards and _Atronach_ on it, along with leaning _Siege Breaker_ against it. He also put the weapon catalogs in order on the shelf above it, and put Grigori's journal and the book about dust on the desk.

"Why do you still keep that journal around?" Raine asked.

"I don't know. I might learn something else if I look through it again. About the experiments." Jace replied and Raine nodded her head, not wanting to make Jace get into his past again.

Auron set tools on his desk along with placing his dust whetstones in one of the desk drawers. After that, he took a hammer and a few nails from his trunk and nailed two hangers on the wall, then he laid his father's weapon on them. After that, he moved the clock from above the door and replaced it with a very intricate looking decoration. It was a hoop with an almost spiderweb-like design in it made out of threads, with feathers and beads hanging from below it.

"What's that supposed to be, Auron?" Alyss asked, "It's really pretty."

Auron made sure it stayed on the hook and then turned around to answer. "It's called a dreamcatcher. It's supposed to keep you from gettin' nightmares an' let you have good dreams instead." He said and Jace sighed.

"Well good. I've been having some weird dreams lately." He remarked from his bed.

Auron went to put the clock somewhere else on the wall while Alyss placed her weapon on her desk along with all the magazines to it. Raine put her sewing supplies and weapon repair kit on her desk and that was it for her, other than placing her clothes in her shared dresser. Since Jace didn't have anything else to do, he did the same and put his school uniform, combat outfit, and casual clothes in it.

After thirty more minutes of straightening things out, they were finally finished at around four-thirty in the evening. "Hey Auron, I need to go pick up those headstones, can I borrow you?" Jace asked and looked toward the taller gunslinger.

Auron chuckled at Jace's wording. "Yeah, I guess you can. Let's go before it gets too late." Auron said and grabbed his keys.

"Anyone wanna come with us?" Jace asked the two Faunus.

Both of them looked at each other and shrugged, "Yeah I'll go." Alyss said and Raine agreed after that.

"Let's go." Jace said and they made their way from the dorm.

In the hallway, they passed Cardin and Sky as they were going back to their room from classes. The group ignored them like Jace suggested and they walked on.

"I can tell he's glaring at us, you know." Raine said as they made it to the stairs.

"Yeah, I know, but there isn't anything we can do about it. I just want to ignore him and be done with it." Jace replied and they quickly went down the stairs.

At the bottom, they were met with a more friendly sight of team JNPR. "Hey Jace, we didn't catch you at breakfast. How was initiation?" Jaune asked as they walked toward each other.

"Fun, I guess. Have any of you seen an Armaddon yet?" Jace asked and went for his scroll.

"I can't say we have. Why do you ask?" Pyrrha asked, then Jace showed them the pictures.

"Here's what they look like. Professor Port said you guys'll be learning about them for the rest of the week after today. They explode too, so watch out for that." Jace explained as everyone looked at the picture.

"They explode!? That's so cool!" Nora exclaimed with wide eyes.

"Not when you get a bone shard in your arm." Raine replied dryly and unconsciously grabbed her left arm.

"It is good that we know more about them now. You four did well." Ren said to them.

"Speaking of that," Jaune started, "What's your team name?" He asked and tried to figure it out himself in his head.

"Team JKDW. Jace is our leader." Alyss said with a smile before Jace could answer.

"That makes the second time they've answered before I could," Jace said with a grin, "Anyways, we need to get going so I can pick some things up in the city. We can talk more tomorrow or sometime." He said and the two teams separated and left.

Soon after, team JKDW made their way to an airbus and boarded, then went to sit down. "Friday sounds fun. I can't wait for it." Jace said after a few moments. Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Yang seems like a fun gal to be around," Auron started and grinned, "I'm lookin' forward to gettin' a good drink. I'm thinkin' I might get a Big Ursa. Had one of those back when I first got here, pretty damn good too. What about you two?" He asked the cat and fox Faunus.

"I might get a Cherry Sunrise. Mom let me have a drink of hers before and I loved it." Alyss said.

"Of course you'd have something cherry," Jace said and grinned at her, "Am I seriously the only one that hasn't drank anything yet?" He asked and looked around the group.

"Other than a bit of whiskey to help my sore throat one time? No, I haven't," Raine answered. "Ranger training always kept me busy."

"What do you plan on getting then?" Jace asked her.

Raine thought for a few moments. "I don't know, maybe just whiskey, maybe a Grimm Sunshine like my dad's favorite… I'll know when I'm there." She said and the team waited for the airbus to touchdown.

"Why does what I want to try seem so simple?" Jace asked with a laugh after the airbus landed. They disembarked and went toward where Jace and Auron's vehicles were waiting.

* * *

The walk to their vehicles didn't take as long as what the two boys remembered, it seemed. After thirty minutes of walking, they arrived at the garages and then they organized who rode where.

"I guess partner rides with partner? So Raine would be with me and Alyss would be with Auron." Jace suggested.

Alyss sighed to herself at the suggestion, wanting to ride with Jace again. She blushed a bit at the thought of holding him around the waist as he drove them down the road. She shook herself from the thoughts and looked back at Auron's truck. They couldn't all ride in it. Jace needed the space for the headstones and there wouldn't be any room for Jace, Raine, and the two stones.

"Or we could mix it up. Me and Alyss, Auron and Raine. Doesn't matter to me." Jace finished and brought _Titan_ out of the garage and rolled it next to Auron's truck.

"I'll ride with Jace, I don't mind." Alyss said and quickly stood next to _Titan_.

"Alright then. Auron, I'm with you." Raine said and went to the passenger side of the truck while she grinned to herself at Alyss and Jace.

"Guess that settles it. Get in, Raine." Auron said and opened the driver side door.

"This won't turn out like Atlas will it?" Jace asked quietly to Alyss in regards to the first time she'd ridden on _Titan_.

Alyss blushed and looked down in embarrassment. "It shouldn't be. I'm pretty sure I got more used to it then."

"Alright, let's go." Jace said and the two strapped their helmets on.

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: Looks like we have our first official ship in Freezerburn. I've learned that those two are a pretty good match. Yang's the right person to melt Weiss' icy shell and Weiss can be the right person to cool Yang off. Plus the good-natured teasing between them is something I like to see in other fics.**

 **But that's not the main focus here. Jace is on his way to pick up those two very important items and have them ready for when he wants to take them to Atlas. That'll come sometime, but not right now. We've got a few things that'll happen and I hope I did well with them.**

 **See you next chapter, and have a nice day!** **!**


	34. Chapter 33: A Crossroad of Life

**A Crossroad Of Life**

 _There's a time in your_ _life where you have make a choice…_

* * *

With an hour of driving with Jace in the lead, they finally arrived at Vale Burial Services.

"This is gonna feel weird for me." Jace said as he stepped off _Titan_ , then turned to help Alyss off the bike.

"You want to go in alone?" She asked as they took off their helmets and she steadied herself.

"You guys can come in if you want to. I don't mind," Jace replied and the other two came up to them, "I'll probably need it,"

"Let's get this over with." He said and they all went inside the building.

They wore their casual clothes at the time, Alyss wore a purple shirt and pair of blue jeans with her white hoodie, Jace wore his long-sleeved shirt and gray jeans, Auron still wore his duster with his pair of worn blue jeans and a red shirt, and Raine wore a pair of brown boots, dark-brown cargo pants and green shirt without her cloak. They each, minus Alyss, still had their weapons though, which brought stares from all of the people sitting in chairs as they waited for their appointments. They walked to the front desk and Jace gained the attention of the receptionist.

"Hello, I'm here to pick up an order." Jace told her.

"Okay, what is your name?" The woman asked him in a somber tone. With a job like this, it was hard to have a cheerful voice.

"Jace Reznor. I'm here about two headstones I called about last Friday night. You guys said they're ready." Jace said and waited for the receptionist to look through her computer.

After a few moments, she raised her head. "Alright, here they are. It will be five hundred lien," She said and Jace brought out his wallet, then gave the woman the money.

"I'll have someone show you to where they're kept. Have a good day." She said finally and called for a worker to escort them.

After a minute of walking through the back area, they found the headstones Jace was looking for. "I saw you guys pull up in a truck, so you can pull it around here to the garage door and we can put them in the back." The worker said and started to open the door. Auron left to get his truck and Jace looked at the headstones.

He stood silently for several moments while he looked and waited for Auron to return. "You alright, Jace?" Alyss asked the new leader and placed her hand on his arm.

"Yeah I'm good. Just… remembering." Jace responded and turned when he heard Auron's truck.

"Good or bad?" Alyss asked softly.

"Good. Just remembering all the times me and Gen were in those simulation pods in Atlas. It was fun times."

"You'll have to tell us about those things sometime."

"It's kind of a love-hate thing with them for me. I already told Raine."

Alyss let out a short laugh. "Okay, now I _really_ wanna know."

Auron walked back into the building and walked up to them. "So these are… the headstones? Huh…" Auron said and stared at the one for Genesis.

"That's a damn good song… We played it at dad's funeral." He said and remembered the time. The words that Auron read were the opening lyrics to the song.

 _'Never feared for anything. Never chained but never free.'_

He remembered that the words right after them almost made him break down in tears at the hard time in his life, then he smiled as he remembered his promise. "Let's get 'em in the truck." Auron said and lifted one.

Even with their strength, stone always proved to be extremely heavy at any size. They put the headstones in the back of the truck and sighed from the exertion of energy. "Damn, stone is heavy. Should've used my aura." Jace said and Auron made sure the headstones were secure.

The other one, the one for Haile, had what he always told his sons on it. ' _Don't stare too long into the sun, that you forget the rest of the sky_.' Jace figured that his father would want that to be there, to always remind Jace to pay attention to all the good around him rather than one horrible thing.

"Alright, they're held good. Ready to get goin'?" Auron asked and sat in the truck.

Everyone nodded and set out, back to Beacon.

* * *

After another two hour journey, they made it back to their dorm. "Damn it, I forgot to put that in my locker." Jace said and looked at his other weapon.

"It ain't too late, you can still go do that." Auron said and sat on his bed.

"Yeah, I'll be back soon." Jace said and grabbed _Siege Breaker_. When he left the room, Auron stood back up and looked to his other teammates.

"Y'all want somethin' to eat? I'm gonna go to the kitchen an' cook some steak if they got some." Auron offered the two.

"Yeah, I can go for some steak." Raine said.

"You can cook?" Alyss asked with a curious look.

"Yeah, my mom taught me a long time ago. Said, _"If I die, I want you to cook to keep Jeff from burnin' the house down."_ Damn I miss her cookin' already." Auron said and laughed.

"Well, can you fix me some fish maybe?" Alyss asked with a shy smile.

"Yeah, I can do that. Just sit tight." Auron replied and exited the room, then walked toward the kitchen.

* * *

Jace had rested _Siege Breaker_ on his left shoulder as he walked. This time, hardly anyone was around to give him any looks, good or bad. After walking for a bit, he ran into one person he was happy to see, and one person he hated to see.

"Hey Jaune, how's it going?" Jace asked as he stepped between Jaune and Cardin.

"Oh, Jace! I-I'm okay. Um, how are you?" Jaune asked nervously.

"Hey! I'm talking to-"

"I'm good," Jace interrupted Cardin, "We organized our room, got that thing done in town, and I'm taking my axe to my locker now. Wanna come with me?" Jace asked and Jaune nodded.

"Yeah! Yeah, I'll come with you!" Jaune said and the two started to walk away.

Cardin grabbed Jace by the shoulder. "Hey! I was talking to him! Don't you-"

"Cardin, stop and think for a damn minute. You don't think there's someone watching this right now?" Jace asked and Cardin paused.

"Ozpin's probably watching this like he was somehow watching me and my team during initiation. Do you really want to start something and then get put in detention?" Jace asked again and the other boy scowled and walked away angrily.

Jace shook his head and glared after Cardin as he loosened his grip on his axe, then he and Jaune walked on as he relaxed his body. "So, what was that about?" Jace asked after they were a fair distance away from Cardin.

"I accidentally bumped into him when I was walking. I was talking with Pyrrha on my scroll and I wasn't paying attention." Jaune explained and sighed.

"Oum, what's his problem? Does he always act like there's a stick up his ass?" Jace asked with a laugh.

That caused Jaune to chuckle as well. "Yeah, sadly. I mean, he used to bully me around, but he always gets like that if something sets him off. If you even look at him the wrong way he always makes a big deal of it. Thanks for helping me out." The smaller teen said.

"Eh, don't mention it. I said I'd follow you guys through hell itself if I had to, so I figured I'd start." Jace replied as they made it to the locker rooms.

"I appreciate it. So, what locker do you have?" Jaune asked when they stepped inside.

"I got one-fifteen. You know where it is?"

* * *

Auron walked toward the dorms' communal kitchen where he already smelled someone cooking something. He followed the scent and saw a thin figure with black and lavender hair wearing an apron, standing in front of an oven.

"Hey Ren, what're ya fixin'? Auron asked as he walked up to the other oven.

"Hello Auron. I'm making pancakes for Nora. What brings you here?" Ren asked in return as he flipped a pancake in the pan.

"I planned on fixin' some steak an' fish for my team, considerin' we haven't ate since this mornin'. Care for some company?" Auron asked and looked around the kitchen for supplies.

"Be my guest. It is interesting to know that there is another cook with us." Ren replied and went back to the pancakes.

Auron gathered three raw steaks and a large salmon from the freezer and started to thaw them out on a heating plate on the counter. "I guess I got no place to ask why you're makin' pancakes so late, but, why?" He asked as he gathered different seasonings. He thought for a moment and shook his head as he put them back up. He didn't know which kinds his team would prefer.

"I have learned over the years that once Nora acquires a craving for something, it will take a lot to snap her out of it. It is one reason why I learned to cook at a young age." Ren replied as he put two finished pancakes onto a plate.

"How long have you two known each other?" Auron asked after he started to heat up the other oven.

"Since we were children. We grew up as orphans, so we took care of each other. It may not seem like it, but she is what keeps me sane." The calm Huntsman said with a smile.

Auron couldn't keep a smile of his own from forming. "You two seemed really close at the party. You're like brother an' sister ain't ya?" He asked and placed one of the now-prepared steaks on the frying pan he had found.

"Well, we are a couple actually. We do not openly display our affections toward one another." Ren answered.

"Really? I wouldn't have figured," Auron said and stared at the steak as it sizzled in the pan, "I told you guys about Preacher before, but I never told you that he's like an uncle to me. He's been around since before I was born an' was there when I fought Pyrrha in the tournaments. He was nearly gettin' to be sixty years old before he had to retire from bein' a Ranger 'cause of his leg," He said with a sigh and waited for the first steak to finish cooking.

"I know he blames himself for what happened to dad."

* * *

"Sooo… fish?" Raine asked with a grin and caused Alyss to groan in embarrassment.

"I know, I know! It's stereotypical for a cat Faunus to love fish but I can't help it! It's just so good!" Alyss said and shook her head.

"Hey, I know what you mean. When I can, I just dig into chicken whenever it's served somewhere. I get the cravings for it and sometimes I just can't help it." Raine said and caused Alyss to smile, "I should've asked for chicken." She continued and laughed.

"I know! And now that I know they have fish in the kitchen we can use ourselves, it's gonna be _sooo_ hard," Alyss shook her head a bit, "I wonder if Blake likes fish as much as I do…" She wondered and went to sit at the table, then stared out the window as she groaned loudly, "Oh Gods… I wasn't supposed to say that…"

"What? About Blake liking fish because she's a cat Faunus?"

"Wait… You know too?"

"Yeah. It's a certain scent or whatever that Faunus have. Smelling scents like that comes with being a fox Faunus, I guess. I could tell as soon as I met her."

"Huh… I met her over Jace's scroll on face-cam when we went to Atlas. I guess it was something in her eyes that let me know. I guess that's something for cat Faunus," Alyss let out a short, nervous laugh, "I think the promise of fish is what can get secrets out of me."

Raine laughed and shook her head. "Good to know for later," She said and took a breath through her nose, "I'm starting to smell our food," She took the seat across from Alyss. "I just don't know why I smell pancakes."

After a few moments, Raine sighed and got Alyss's attention. "I can tell something's bugging you. Is everything okay?" She asked, causing Alyss to sigh as well.

"I…" She sighed again and shook her head. "It's about Jace." She forced out and felt her heart pound harder.

"What about him?" Raine asked, even though she felt like she knew.

"I think… I really, _really_ like him," Alyss said and rested her chin in her arms on the table. "Well, I think I love him. No…" She shook her head, "I _know_ I love him. But… I don't know if he feels the same way, and I don't want to mess up our friendship."

Raine couldn't do much but nod. "Hmm, maybe you can talk to him about it sometime?"

Alyss buried her face in her arms and sighed again. "I don't know. I can try sometime I guess…" She said in a muffled voice and Raine moved to the seat next to Alyss. She started to rub Alyss's back to try to ease her mind.

"It's just that I'm too nervous to say anything about it." Alyss said and sighed once again.

They sat in silence for a few moments as Raine rubbed Alyss' back lightly. "Hey," Raine said and got Alyss' attention.

"I think you should just go for it. You might regret it if you don't." Raine said with a wink.

* * *

Jace and Jaune walked back to their floor and stopped in their tracks.

"What smells amazing?" Jaune asked in wonder at the scent in the air.

"I don't know, but it's like a mix between pancakes and steak," Jace replied and the two walked to their rooms.

"Y'know, I realized something when I saw Cardin outside." Jace said and chuckled.

"Like what?" Jaune asked and saw the grin.

"I didn't know they stacked shit that high."

Jaune snorted and broke out laughing at that, and that caused Jace to laugh loudly as well. They stopped in the hall and worked to regain their composure. Jaune wiped tears of mirth from his eyes after a few moments and grinned. "Man, I needed that laugh. Thanks for that."

"Hey, the description fits." Jace said and laughed a bit more.

They finally arrived at Jaune's dorm and stopped. "See you later, pay more attention to where you walk. You don't wanna run into Cardin on accident again." Jace said and chuckled.

"Yeah I know. See you later." Jaune said and opened his door.

"What smells like steakcakes!?" Jace heard Nora yell out as Jaune entered the room.

Jace shook his head at the thought of whatever a 'steakcake' was and walked on toward his team's room. He walked down the hall and unlocked the door to their room, then walked in.

"Hey guys, do you know what that really good smell is?" Jace asked and looked to his two Faunus teammates.

"Oh. Umm, Auron's making us some steak and fish." Alyss said as she still looked out the window from after her and Raine's conversation.

"He is? I know he said he can make jerky, but I didn't know he was a cook." Jace said and took a seat on the other side of the two girls.

"Neither did we. He just asked us after you left. Who knew?" Raine said and held her arms outwards as she stretched. "I'm gonna go see how he's doing, I'll probably come back with him. See you both then." Raine said and left the room, leaving both Jace and Alyss to their emotions.

After the door closed, Jace's face was masked with worry at seeing Alyss staring out the window, obviously with something on her mind.

"Hey Alyss, you alright?" Jace asked and sat next to her.

She glanced at him. "What makes you ask that?" She asked in return, thinking of what to say.

Jace sighed. "You just seem really distracted. You usually turn to me when you say something. It's worrying me and I wanna know if I can help." He replied and Alyss leaned back and looked at the ceiling, wrapping her mind around what she wanted to tell him.

"When we first met… after I healed your arm and we went back to your hospital room, you told me about how my eyes reminded you of your brother's and that they gave you comfort." She said and Jace nodded, not knowing where this was going.

"After you said that, I felt my cheeks get really hot. When we went to Atlas and stayed at your house, I told you about what happened to me, and you comforted me and accepted that I came from that. I never even told my ex-boyfriend or _anyone_ about that before. I felt that feeling even more, then you told me about… that," She said and looked to Jace, who's face was cast down from that specific memory of his past.

"I laid my head on your shoulder because I thought it would help calm you, and that feeling just intensified in me. We slept on the couch together and after I woke up, seeing you wasn't there, I thought it was a dream. I… I really hoped it wasn't," She looked to Jace with a hopeful light in her eyes now and Jace looked back at her as he tilted his head a bit.

"You took me to those places in Atlas, ready to confront people for throwing hateful stares at me. You bought me this bow, that helmet, and you let me watch your favorite movie," She fully turned her body to him and smiled, "When we woke up the next morning, I… I had my hand on your chest. It was weird, but it felt… _good_ , just having it there. Then you took me to that spot in the forest and my mind just cleared of every trouble it had. Being there at that spot and in Atlas with you just made me the happiest I've ever been and I…" She paused and took a deep breath.

"I want to be with you."

Jace stared with wide eyes at her for several moments, wondering if what he heard was true. "You want… to be with me? Like… a couple?" Jace asked and stared at her. She nodded hopefully and Jace couldn't believe it. A smile started to form on his lips and all of a sudden, he shot forward and wrapped the cat Faunus in a one-armed hug with his right arm. She immediately hugged back as she buried her face in his shoulder with a teary smile.

"Oh Oum, thank you…" He said and leaned his head against her neck.

"Ever since you healed my arm, I felt something in my chest. I asked you to go with me to Atlas because of that feeling," Jace said and moved away from her, but held her hand in his right hand, "When we told each other about what happened to us and you put your head on my shoulder, that feeling just…grew,"

"The next night when we slept together, I woke up and we were holding each others' hands, and I probably smiled like an idiot then. I didn't want to move my hand… or move any at all. When I took you to that spot and spent the night, I woke up because of a dream and I just knew that I was in love with you. I asked Yang about what was happening when we got back and she said that I might regret it if I didn't ask. But I was just so damn nervous and worried that you might not want the same. Dust, I'm so glad that you do." Jace said and smiled at Alyss.

"That's funny, because Raine told me the same thing earlier. She told me to go for it." Alyss said and gave her own warm smile, the sight making Jace feel so happy.

"She did? I don't know what to say really. I'm just-" Before Jace could get any further, he was immediately silenced by Alyss' lips pressed against his.

He was shocked for a small moment before he relaxed and fell into it, returning it and letting his doubts, worries, pains, and tiredness wash away. After a few moments, they broke away from each other and smiled, both of them relieved that this was finally out in the open and that they each felt the same way.

Jace wrapped her in another, lighter, hug and kissed her on the cheek. "This is the happiest I've ever been." He said shakily.

"Me too Jace. Thank Oum I met you," Alyss said and returned the hug.

"So… You wanna tell me about that love-hate thing you have with the simulations?"

* * *

Auron thought it over and brought two more steaks from the freezer to thaw. "You know what? I'm feelin' pretty generous," He started and drew a glance from Ren, "I think I'll fix you guys a couple steaks too." He finished and received a small smile from the smaller cook.

"You don't have to. Nora would appreciate it, but I wouldn't force you to." Ren said to Auron as he stacked another pancake onto the large pile.

"Hey, I figured that since you told me a bit about you an' Nora, I'd do somethin' nice for you guys. Plus, I wanna get on Pyrrha's good side before she kicks my ass again." Auron said with a laugh and put one of the last two steaks on.

"Hey Auron, having fun?" Auron heard Raine ask and he turned around. "Hello Ren." She said to the quiet boy.

"Hello Raine." He replied shortly.

"What brings you to our neighborhood?" Auron asked with a laugh.

She thought for a moment, hoping that Jace and Alyss can get things worked out, then answered. "I thought I'd check up on you, see if you need help," She turned to Ren, "Judging from Sunday night, those are for Nora, right?" She asked with a grin.

Ren chuckled at the accurate guess, "You would be correct." He answered and put another couple pancakes onto the pile.

After another half hour of cooking and torturing all of the students on the floor with the smell of well-cooked food, the three made their way back to their dorms.

"I appreciate the steak, Auron. I'll make sure Nora thanks you." Ren said before he opened the door to his dorm and was almost bowled over by Nora.

"OhmyOumRenIloveyou!" She exclaimed and took the plates from Ren.

"Nora, the steak is for everyone." Ren said, then Auron and Raine waved over Ren and Nora's heads to the other occupants of the room, who waved back.

"Where'd the steak come from?" Nora asked after a moment. Auron laughed and raised his hand.

"That'd be me." He said and gained her attention.

"You and I will get along well." She replied and went to shut the door.

Ren placed his hand on the door and stopped it. "Say thank you, Nora."

"Thank you, Auron." Nora said.

"You're welcome. Enjoy it." Auron said and Ren quietly shut the door.

"Well, back to our room." Raine said with a smile and walked on with the plate of fish in her hand.

Auron carried a plate full of three steaks and had two extra plates in his other hand with knives and forks.

"You know, I never thought it'd be this calm around me again." Auron said as they walked down the hall.

"What do you mean by that?" Raine asked and wondered how the other two were doing.

"Well, after havin' to keep on my toes an' lookin' out for the Crimson Lance, fightin' for a few months almost every night against 'em, then… everything else, I never thought I'd see it so calm again." Auron said and sighed, both happily and sadly.

"Yeah, I can understand that. Why wasn't your dad a Huntsman? If you don't mind me asking." Raine asked and looked to the large gunslinger.

He shrugged and they stopped in the hallway to speak. "I don't mind. Well, long before I was born, he went to Shade…"

* * *

The two finally made their way back to the dorm and Raine unlocked the door, then opened it to quite the sight.

Both Jace and Alyss were sitting on the former's bed. Jace with his legs apart and Alyss sitting between them, leaning back against his chest as his mouth and nose rested between her Faunus ears. Jace had his right hand wrapped firmly around her stomach and she held it there with her left hand.

Raine smiled widely at them as she entered, then Auron stepped in soon after, staring in confusion at them when he noticed. "The fuck did I miss?" He asked and went to set the steak down on the table.

"Long version or short?" Jace asked with a wide smile.

"Umm, short?" Auron answered and put the steak on separate plates.

Alyss was the one to answer. "Turns out that we had deep feelings for each other. We were both nervous and couldn't bring ourselves to say anything, then Raine gave me the push I needed," She said and got out of Jace's embrace to hug Raine, "Thanks." She said to the shorter girl, who returned the hug with a smile.

"Glad to help out my friends." She said and they broke the hug, and Jace came over to them.

"Thanks Raine. I don't think I would've ever built up the courage." He said and nodded to her.

"I missed a lot." Auron said and went to sit down.

The others followed, with Raine taking a seat next to Auron so Jace and Alyss could sit next to each other.

 _"Yep,"_ Jace thought to himself and looked around to everyone. From the apprentice Ranger he trained with for a week, to the tall gunslinger he would already trust with his life, and to his new girlfriend, he smiled.

 _"Happiest I've ever been."_

He was broken from his thought when Alyss nudged his arm. "You wanna tell Auron about your love-hate relationship?"

Jace smiled and nodded. "Hey Auron, have you heard of the simulation pods in Atlas?"

* * *

 _There's a time in your life where you have to make a choice. You have to decide which roads to take and when to take them. But the biggest choice?_

 _The biggest choice is whether or not to walk them alone._

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: Yay, now the obvious couple are together! Like I keep saying, I hope I did that well and I hope you enjoyed it. I know it's really sappy and stuff, but this is my first story. On another note, Auron can cook. He's the team chef, like how I assume Yang is with RWBY and how Ren is with JNPR.**

 **Also, Team Sloth is here. Always been here, just low-key about it. Not much to say there really.**

 **For what I said at the end, I honestly don't know where that came from. I don't know if it was said previously by anyone or not. If someone did and you know, please tell me so I can give credit.**

 **See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	35. Chapter 34: Night To Remember

**Night To Remember**

"Y'know, you coulda made us some steak too." Yang said to Auron as she caught him in the hall.

"I would've been cookin' for the rest of the night if I did. Took me long enough as it was." Auron replied as they walked toward team RWBY's room.

She gave him a mock frown. "Well, why were you makin' it in the first place?" She asked and crossed her arms.

"I felt like bein' nice to my team since we didn't eat the whole day. An' Ren told me about him an' Nora, I made them a couple too. Plus Alyss fixed my knee an' I owed her. Oh yeah, Jace an' Alyss are together now. Surprised the hell outta me when I got back." Auron said and Yang broke out in a wide smile.

"So they got together? 'Bout time."

"Did you know too or somethin'? Raine apparently gave Alyss the push into it."

"Jace told me about what he felt when they got back from Atlas. Good that they got the worry outta their systems." Yang replied and let out a chuckle.

"How did you not see 'em holdin' hands all day?" Auron questioned her.

Yang shrugged. "I was a bit too busy listening to teachers and lookin' at Weiss' body." She answered with a grin.

"Is she gonna go with us Friday?" Auron asked as they arrived outside RWBY's room.

"I don't know. I don't think she's into going to clubs and stuff, but you never know," Yang answered and opened the door.

"See you later..." She said and walked through the door.

"'Till then." Auron replied and walked on down the hall.

After walking halfway to his team's room, he thought to himself for a moment before he sighed and turned back around. When he got back to where he and Yang separated, he knocked on the door.

"Hey, y'all want some steak now?" He asked and the door opened up.

"That quick?" Yang asked him.

He shrugged his shoulders. "As thanks for offerin' us drinks," He whispered and nodded to her, "So, where's the rest of your team at?" He asked when he didn't notice any of the others in the room.

"Weiss is studying in the library and Blake's probably off somewhere reading a book with Ruby. Where's yours?" Yang asked.

"Jace an' Alyss stayed to talk to Port, somethin' about more strategies for the Armaddons. I think ours worked out good enough. An' Raine's at the trainin' rooms practicin' with her bow. Seems like we're the only ones that wanna take a break from all this shit for a while." Auron said and they laughed with each other.

"To the carefree!" Yang said and stuck her fist out.

Auron hit it with his own and smiled. "Hell yeah."

During a small moment of silence, Auron looked past Yang and saw the bunk beds they had talked about.

"How in the hell d'you get those to stay up?"

* * *

"Your strategy did work well, but what if it was only one person fighting an Armaddon? What would you suggest?" Port asked Jace after trying to go over different methods to combat the new Grimm.

"Other than run like hell?" Jace started and was lightly jabbed in the side by Alyss' elbow. He chuckled and shook his head. "Honestly, I wouldn't know. We had it held down before we killed it, and I'm not sure how we could've killed it without Raine there."

"We'll all have to come up with something eventually. We need something that everyone could do." Alyss said thoughtfully.

Port sat and rubbed his chin, thinking to himself on the problem. "Hmm, I'll try to think of a strategy soon. You two should go relax. Have a good day." Port said and the two took their leave, holding hands as they exited the room.

* * *

"Twelve targets, twelve arrows, eight seconds." Raine said to herself as she looked at the timer on her scroll.

She retrieved her arrows from the training droids and went to sit down and rest. She sighed when she remembered she hadn't called her sister in a long while and went to find her number.

"Took you long enough, sis." Emowyn said when she answered the call.

Raine chuckled and shook her head. "It's been a busy few weeks." She replied and got a short bark of laughter from her older sister.

"I can only guess. Initiation go well?"

"It went really good. There was a King and an Apex Taijitu, and a Deathstalker. The gravity arrows worked great. If you shoot two, they'll get pulled together. We ended up fighting an Armaddon and killing it, thanks to that." That got Emowyn's attention even more.

"An Armaddon huh? You guys would be the first people to kill one and you're only just starting at Beacon. You must have a good team to be able to do that. Who are they?"

"My leader's name is Jace Reznor, he's the one that came up with how to kill it. Then there's Alyss Wystar, she's got a healing semblance and healed my arm after the Armaddon blew up-"

"The Armaddon did what!?" Emowyn blurted out and Raine could only assume her eyes went wide in shock.

"It really blew up. They apparently do that after they die. It also sent a bone shard through my arm and it wasn't pleasant." Raine continued and looked at her arm where the shard went through.

"Are you alright?"

"Like I said, Alyss healed me. She's a Faunus too, which is pretty great. I'm gonna give you one guess at who the last person is." Raine said and waited.

"Oh, how's Auron doing?" Emowyn asked, showing her happiness for him through her voice.

"He's doing pretty good. He's a good fighter."

"That's good to hear. I'll have to tell Preacher and Kathy how he's doing. So, how's Jace feel about two Faunus on his team?"

"Just full of questions… I'm sure if he had a problem with Faunus, he wouldn't be going out with Alyss." It took a few moments for Emowyn to respond to that.

"That's one way to prove that you're friendly to Faunus I guess. Didn't expect that." Emowyn laughed.

"And actually… he's part Faunus." Raine said and her sister stopped laughing.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Auron told us all about what you all went through in Anima, and Jace told us all about what he went through… at a facility in Sanus." Raine said and Emowyn quickly remembered.

"The experiments… He was one of the ones that escaped?"

"Yeah, didn't you guys get informed about it?"

"Not fully. We knew about two escaped experiments but not their names… What about the other one?" Emowyn asked and heard her sister sigh.

"It was his brother… He died after they fought a bunch of mercenaries."

"None of that should've ever happened… It's good that it can't happen anymore, at least." Emowyn said and heard Erron call for her in the background.

"Oh damn. I have to go sis, be safe. Love you."

"Love you too Em. Bye." They ended the call and Raine decided to go back to the dorm.

* * *

"Seriously? You guys fought a Paladin?" Auron asked in disbelief at what Yang said.

"Yup! Knocked me straight through a highway pillar, then I punched it's arm off!" She replied and grinned.

"Damn, I'd hate to get on your bad side." Auron said and drew a laugh from the fiery brawler.

"Please. There ain't no bad side on me." She said cockily and Auron grinned at her.

"I'm sure Weiss ain't gonna argue with that," He laughed, "Well, those two Spider Tanks that we wrecked is where my armor came from. Pretty damn good too."

"You made that armor out of their scraps? That's pretty cool."

"The red glows with my aura too. Imagine that comin' at ya in a dark hallway." Auron shook his head and laughed at the thought.

"Getting friendly with everyone already Auron!?" They heard Jace call from the stairs.

He and Alyss walked up to the two and greeted Yang. "You enjoy learning more about the Armaddon?" Jace asked her with a grin.

"Yyeeaahh, it's definitely something. You guys put on a good show too," She answered and smiled at him and Alyss holding hands, "Aww you guys are so cute together." She said and the couple smiled.

"Well thank you Yang." Alyss said and gripped Jace's hand tighter, just because she finally can.

Jace looked at her smile and he smiled even more. "It's been a good time here at Beacon already." He said and kissed Alyss on the cheek.

"Is everyone good and happy?" A voice spoke up behind them and made them jump.

"Raine! What the hell!?" Auron exclaimed and took a breath.

"Get used to it. That might happen a lot when I have my cloak." She replied and grinned.

Auron shook his head. "Damn Rangers."

"Y'know, that can be useful for pranks. I wouldn't let Nora get a hold of it." Yang said and drew a chuckle from the apprentice.

"I'll keep it in mind." Raine replied.

Soon after, they separated. Auron went to the kitchen to fix steak, and a fish salad at Yang's request, for team RWBY. Jace, Alyss, and Raine went to their dorm and relaxed after their day.

It was another two hours before Auron returned after delivering the food to the others, and he sat on his bed with a sigh. "Damn. I think this might be how Ren feels cookin' for Nora." He said and leaned against the headboard.

Jace and Alyss were relaxing with each other on Jace's bed and Raine was looking out the window. "Sometime, we need to watch the rest of that movie." Jace said to the girl leaning against his chest, so glad to have that feeling.

"Yeah, we do. I really wanna see what happens next." Alyss answered and leaned her head back.

"What movie are you talkin' about?" Auron asked them.

"A movie compilation and adaptation of my favorite games and movie as a kid. You guys should see it too." Jace answered and Raine looked over to him.

"We could have a movie night after Auron's match with Pyrrha." She suggested and saw the grins on both Jace and Alyss' faces.

"It'd be more like a movie _day_. It lasts for ten hours." Jace said and saw both Auron and Raine's eyes go wide.

"Yeah, that was my reaction too." Alyss said and closed her eyes.

* * *

"I'm tellin' you guys. It's the best place in Vale for drinks." Yang assured the group as they walked toward the garages where their vehicles were. Weiss had decided to join them, wanting to have a night out and to give Ruby and Blake the room to read in. Weiss and Yang wore their other outfits they had wore at the party, and the others wore their normal, casual clothes all suited to the chill in the air. It didn't matter with Jace because of the dust, Alyss had her hoodie, Auron had his duster, and Raine had a long-sleeved shirt and a scarf with a hood sown onto it. The hood had two spots cut out af the top for her ears to comfortably stick through. Yang's semblance gave her the passive ability to generate heat for her and Weiss.

"The _best_? Are you sure that's not an over-exaggeration?" Weiss questioned her and Yang put an arm around her shoulder.

"Trust me babe, it is," Yang grinned and kissed her on the cheek, gaining a loving stare from her, "Plus I know the owner. I'll get a discount."

"Junior's, right?" Auron asked as he remembered the place, "That's where I went when I got here. Friendly guy." He said and made sure his revolvers could be brought out easily, the only weapons he brought with him.

"Oh yeah, I know! Thanks for the steak, by the way," Yang said and nodded to the gunslinger, "It'll probably be crowded since it's a Friday night. Oh well, it'll be fun!" She said with a wide grin.

"I'm sure it will be," Jace said and put his right arm around Alyss' waist and pulled her close, "As long as I don't get drunk and wreck into a wall."

"How do you even know about it?" Alyss asked Auron.

"When I got here, I went to some place called the Crow Bar an' got some water. I overheard some people talkin' about how to get to Junior's an' I just went," Auron answered and laughed a bit, "It helped that they said he serves some good drinks."

"That's as good a way as any." Yang remarked.

Jace jumped when he heard the ringtone of his scroll go off. _'Cause I, I think of you now and then. The memories never end when gravity pulls you in.'_

"Nice ringtone!" Yang commented.

Jace shook his head and pulled his scroll from his pocket after he took his arm from Alyss. He checked who it was that was calling and stopped where he was walking.

"Hello Doctor Seabolte. How are you?" Jace answered and the others stopped with him.

"I'm well. How is the prosthetic treating you?" The doctor asked him.

"I've had no problems with it really. I'm still getting used to it though. I actually broke a glass back at my house but nothing since then."

"Good to hear, except the glass of course. What all have you done with it?"

"Nothing specific with the prosthetic. Just fighting Grimm and completing the initiation. I usually do most things with my right hand now because I don't want to risk breaking anything else."

"Ah, that is one way to do it."

"Oh, I actually did have a problem with it when I activated my semblance with it. The actuators in it got stuck and it felt stiff when I moved it."

"Hmm… were you able to fix it?"

"Yeah, I read the manual and got it straightened out. Is there any way that can be fixed?"

"I would have to look at it myself." Seabolte answered after a moment.

"Okay. Me and my team are gonna be going to Atlas sometime soon before the tournament. Can I see you then?"

"I believe that can be arranged," Seabolte agreed, "I have heard about you passing Beacon's initiation. Congratulations. That is the reason I am calling you in the first place. The General has given me permission to tell you what I am working on. As a type of gift to you."

That got Jace's attention and he stood up a bit straighter. "What's it supposed to be?" He asked excitedly. The others heard the tone in his voice and grew curious as well.

"Well, since you lost your arm when you did, I have been working on a type of enhancement that you will surely appreciate in your young age. The General has declined this himself because he tells me he will master his prosthetics without feeling with them. So, I have been developing an enhancement that will let you actually feel with your prosthetic, as well as generate you body heat as if it was your own arm. Does that interest you?"

Jace went wide-eyed at hearing the news. "You mean I'd be able to feel with my left hand again?" He asked, the excitement reminding the others of that of a child. "I'm _really_ interested in it then."

"I knew you would be. But it will still be a good while before it is completed. I'd expect it to be finished early next year. I decided to tell you to give you something to be excited about."

"T-thank you sir!" Jace said in disbelief at what he heard from the doctor, "I uh… I don't know what to say really."

"You don't have to say anything. After this is developed for you, then I believe we may start making this enhancement for others who have a prosthetic, if possible. That would be all I wanted to speak with you about. Have a good time at Beacon." Seabolte ended the call and Jace stood speechless.

He placed his scroll in his pocket and took a deep breath to steady himself. "What was that all about?" Alyss asked, seeing his expression.

"I'm uh," Jace stuttered and shook himself, then gave a wide smile, "Doctor Seabolte said that the enhancement to my prosthetic will be finished early next year. He said I'll get to feel with it again."

"They can do that?" Weiss asked curiously as Alyss wrapped her arms around Jace and kissed him in happiness.

"I'm not gonna question it," Jace said and smiled as he wrapped his right arm back around Alyss' waist, "But I'm damn excited."

"Well hell yeah. You got somethin' else to look forward to now." Auron said with a grin.

"You'll have something else back then, too." Raine added.

"And we got something else to celebrate!" Yang said and patted Jace on the shoulder, "Let's get going!"

They rounded the corner and walked through the open gate to the garages. "I can't wait to see the look on Junior's face when I walk in with you guys behind me. It'll be priceless!" Yang said excitedly and opened up the garage door. Jace rolled _Titan_ out, followed by Yang with _Bumblebee_.

"I'm sure he'll be calm and collected when he sees four fully armed Hunters-in-training stroll through the door." Weiss commented and strapped on the helmet Yang handed her. She and Alyss were the only ones who didn't bring their weapon.

"Hey, I'll go somewhere without _Last Call_ , but my revolvers stay with me." Auron said and went to get his truck.

"Same here with _Standoff_." Jace said and put his sword in its case.

"And _Amaranth_." Raine added.

"Oh this'll be fun." Yang said again and strapped on her own helmet.

* * *

The three vehicles pulled into the packed parking lot of the nightclub and could hear the music beating through the walls already.

"You really meant it when you said they'd be packed." Jace said as he swung off of _Titan_.

"Yeah, people get off work all stressed and wanna cut loose after workin' like hell. Some other students even come here sometimes too." Yang replied and shook her hair to get it in what order she deemed fit, then grabbed Weiss' hand.

"Well, let's go have a drink an' take bets on who all in there passes out." Auron said with a laugh and fixed his duster to be behind one of his revolvers.

"Maybe we should keep to drinking." Weiss suggested as they walked in.

The first person to walk in was Yang of course, with Weiss at her side, immediately catching Junior's attention. He sighed and went to grab something, but he froze when he noticed a boy come in behind them with a huge sword on his back, holding the hand of a mostly ash-blonde cat Faunus. Then he caught sight of the girl with a large longbow on her back.

After her, he shook his head toward his two bouncers as he saw the last person walk in, the nearly seven foot tall boy that, the last time he was there, was in a mood where no one should mess with him. He gulped as he remembered the man that was thrown into a wall for trying to drunkenly intimidate the boy.

At least he knew the boy had no intentions on starting a bar fight, from what was said before.

"Hey Blondie, what a pleasure to see you again." He greeted trough gritted teeth.

"Sup Junior. These are my friends. They're here for a celebratory drink for passing initiation!" Yang said enthusiastically and pointed to JKDW.

Junior couldn't help but keep his vision on the armed group of teens, "They won't cause trouble will they?"

"As long as no one starts it." Jace said when he walked to the bar with Alyss.

"Alright, I'll have to take your word for it. What'll ya have?" Junior asked as all of the group sat down.

"Double-Chocolate Vodka." Jace said first.

Next was Alyss. "Cherry Sunrise."

Then was Raine. "Grimm Sunshine."

Then Auron. "Big Ursa."

And last was Yang. "The usual."

"I'll just share with Yang." Weiss said.

It took a minute for everyone's drinks to be readied. The simplest was Jace's and was delivered fast, but he waited until everyone else got theirs before he took a drink. He held the shot glass in his hand and took a smell of the liquid, and it smelled amazing, like actual chocolate.

When everyone had their own drinks, he gulped it down without hesitation. "Well, Gen was right. It _is_ pretty good," Jace said in surprise, "Can I get a refill?" He asked Junior.

"Glad you like your first drink." Yang said and took a drink from her glass, then held it out for Weiss.

Jace got another shot and held it out to Alyss. "Wanna try a drink? It seriously tastes like chocolate."

Alyss smiled and took it. "Sure," She said, then she drank some of the shot. Her eyes widened as she hummed in pleasure. "Ohh that's really good." She said and coughed, "It just burns my throat a little."

Auron downed his black, red, and white drink gladly and smiled. "Just as good as I remember." He said and got a refill on his.

Raine was good with one shot of the deep-orange Grimm Sunshine and just laid the glass down. "I don't see myself drinking much, but I can see why dad likes it. I just don't want to let him know that _I_ like it." She laughed.

Alyss took small sips of her deep-red drink to make it last longer, then turned to Jace. "Should you really be drinking that much?" She asked him. He was on his fifth shot already.

"Probably not, but I don't feel anything though. Is that normal?" Jace directed the question at Yang, who was watching him with interest as he drank shot after shot.

"I… don't know. Vodka usually gets a person buzzed with maybe a few shots? I'm not sure, really. Maybe you got a real high tolerance for it." She said with a shrug.

After a few more minutes, Jace was pushing his luck when he continued through fifteen shots with over half of the bottle gone, minus what small bit he shared with Alyss. Still, he felt nothing.

"I'm not pushing it any more. I think I'm done." He said and turned to Alyss, who was half done with her drink.

"What? Wanna try?" She asked and held out her drink.

"Sure, why not." He said and took the glass. As he took a drink, he heard something being said somewhere behind him.

"Look at them. Humans with a Faunus? It's disgraceful." A man said and Jace felt Alyss' hand find his, calming him down.

"You like it?" She asked him.

"Yeah, it's good. Better than the vodka I think." He answered and smiled.

"Dude, just shut the fuck up." Jace heard another say behind him, then he waited for the other to talk.

"Dust, I still can't believe you downed fifteen shots and still don't feel a damn thing. It's vodka for Oum's sake." Junior commented and shook his head.

"Gotta agree with ya there Junior. Somethin' I haven't heard of." Yang said and saw Jace's expression, then she noticed Raine's past her hood.

"Whats up, you two?" She asked them.

"Some asshole can't keep his mouth shut." Raine said, then Jace shook his head.

"And some people can't understand that people can be happy being with a Faunus." He said and glanced behind him.

Sure enough, one person were staring at them, but immediately looked elsewhere when Jace turned. The other man there nodded towards him and mouthed an apology.

"At least I changed my way of thinking after awhile of being in the same classes as Faunus." Weiss said, careful not to expose Blake's heritage.

"Oh well. He can sit there and be unhappy. We are, that's all that matters." Alyss said and smiled.

"It's the way I see it." Auron stated with a grin.

"These stools are uncomfortable, let's head to a booth." Yang suggested and they took their drinks and went.

Before Jace followed, he asked for a Cherry Sunrise. "You really like these now don't you?" Alyss asked him with a grin.

"Mmhmm," Jace hummed his answer and they walked toward the booth behind everyone else.

Alyss glanced around and saw that person staring at them and she kissed Jace's cheek in response.

"And they're _dating_? How low do you have to go?" The man said, causing Jace to laugh.

"I think I went pretty high." He said and placed a kiss on the side of Alyss' head.

Then the other man spoke up. "Come on man, shut up about it."

They finally got to the booth and sat down, with Alyss immediately leaning against Jace. "You tryin' to make that guy speak up or somethin'?" Auron asked and glanced to the loudmouth. Alyss just grinned at him and went to take a sip of her drink.

Auron shook his head and chuckled. "It's gonna be a fun time." He let out a louder laugh.

"Hey guys," Alyss started and got everyone's attention, "Can you four," she pointed to Yang, Weiss, Auron, and Jace, "go up to the bar for a minute?"

"Why?" Jace asked and looked down at Alyss.

"Because I kinda wanna see what that person would do if me and Raine are alone." She answered and drew a grin from Raine. Auron and Yang agreed with a smile, then Weiss and Jace nodded.

"Maybe if he sees my bow a bit more closely, his lips won't be like his mother." Raine remarked straight-faced and everyone laughed loudly, with even Weiss laughing a bit.

"Oh man! I gotta use that on someone!" Yang said and laughed louder.

"I thought you were better than that, Raine." Weiss said with a small grin.

"That goes out the window regarding people like him." Raine answered.

"You learn something new about your team every day," Jace remarked with a laugh, then he looked to Alyss, "I'm coming back with the rest of that vodka." He said and the four went to the bar.

"Hey Jace." Yang said.

"Yeah?"

"I'm liking your girlfriend." She said and got a smile from him.

"Yang…" Weiss said and stared at the brawler.

Yang laughed and kissed her on the lips. "Don't worry. No one's taking me from you."

"Yeah, if she keeps doin' this then we might get in trouble," Auron said and laughed, "Ain't complainin' though, it'll be fun."

It wasn't even a moment when they arrived at the bar when the loudmouth started toward Raine and Alyss.

"Dust damn it Derek…" The other man said.

"Yep. Here we go," Jace sighed and addressed Junior, "Can I get the rest of that bottle of vodka?" He asked and the man nodded and handed the bottle to him.

"Refill if you don't care." Yang said and laid her glass on the counter.

"Broken Skull." Auron requested and Junior grabbed a bottle of the new brand of beer.

"How much does a bottle of this cost anyway?" Jace asked before they returned to their booth.

"About thirty Lien," Junior answered quickly, "Why?"

"No reason." Jace replied as he glared at the person walking toward Alyss and Raine.

Junior groaned and shook his head. "Just damn great." He muttered and called one of his men over.

"Is it wise for us to be letting this happen?" Weiss asked Jace.

"If he tries something, they can definitely handle it." Jace answered her.

* * *

"Seriously, no one wants you here. Just go away," The man said as he stood and swayed over the table, then he turned to Raine, "How can you stand being this friendly with an animal?"

In the lighting of the club, he couldn't see that the ears coming through the top of her hood were real. She slid the hood from her head and flicked her ears as the lighting hit her eyes just right, making them seem to glow.

The man glared at the two and shook his head. "Oh so _that's_ why." He scowled and the two stayed silent. "Do you think you're better than me or something? Too good to talk?"

The rest of the group slowly walked up behind him and Jace placed a finger on his lips to signal for silence, winking at Alyss, then he took a drink from his bottle.

"What makes you think you're better than me?" The man said to the two Faunus.

"We're happy. You're obviously not." Alyss said and smiled.

Raine also spoke. "Well, me and my friend are polite and kind. At least she is. You're just stupid, rude, and you take after your mother _way_ too much." She smirked and leaned back in her seat.

The insult went over the drunk's head. "Really now? So you want to insult your betters? I think I should teach you some manners." The man stepped forward and smirked toward them. That smirk was blocked off by a glyph starting to form ice around his lips. He stared in confusion and clawed at the ice as Jace tapped his shoulder.

He turned around and Jace smashed the bottle into the man's head. Light enough to not seriously injure him, but hard enough to shatter it and knock him to the ground. The impact of his face hitting the ground was dampened by the ice. It shattered on impact and the noise caused club-goers closest to them to stop and stare.

"God damn! What do you think you're doing you freak!?" He gasped as he turned and looked up.

"Oh, so I'm a freak now?" Jace asked and glared at him, his red and blue eyes glowing ever so slightly in the lighting of the club

"Yeah, I saw you holding hands with this animal. That what gets you going or something?"

At that, Jace sighed and clenched his fists before Auron grabbed him by the throat. He lifted the man from the ground and set his beer on the table, then slammed his back into the ground, knocking him out easily. Auron picked the beer back up and took a drink.

He sighed and shook his head. "Well that was somethin'."

Everyone took their seat and got comfortable again as some of Junior's men came over and dragged the man out.

"Nice glyph-work, babe." Yang said and kissed Weiss on the cheek.

"Please, he got off easy," Weiss said with a smile and pecked Yang on the lips, "Remember what I did to Cardin when he made fun of Ruby for being young?"

Yang grinned widely and nodded. "Damn, I love you."

"I love you too, dear."

Yang smiled and turned to Alyss. "You really don't care about people like that do you?" She asked.

Alyss shook her head. "Nope. It's fun seeing them get worked up though." She replied and leaned into Jace again.

"I would've completely snapped at him in your place." Weiss said.

Jace took a long drink from his glass and put his arm around Alyss' shoulder. "It's gonna get someone put in the hospital. Not that I care, as long as it's someone like him." He said and grinned.

"I still can't believe you drank a whole bottle of vodka and didn't get piss-drunk." Yang said and shook her head in amazement.

"It could have something to do with you-know-what." Raine suggested.

Jace thought on it and shrugged. "Who knows. At least I won't be drunk and wreck into a wall."

After a minute of waiting, the loudmouth's friend came up to the table. "Hey guys… sorry about him. He gets like that when he's drunk." He said and bowed his head.

"Don't worry about it." Jace said and finished his drink.

"The dumbass should've realized you guys are from Beacon. Thanks for not hurting him too bad." The man said and walked away.

"Friendly guy." Auron said and took another drink of his beer.

"Yeah, I wish he could pass it on to his friend though." Raine said and sighed.

* * *

They left after everyone finished their drinks. Yang paid Junior what was owed, at a discount, and they went out the door.

"That was really nice." Alyss said as they exited the club.

"It was. I think I'll need to come here with Yang more often." Weiss said and pulled herself closer to her girlfriend.

"And I'll be more than happy to bring you," Yang said happily, then turned to Jace, "You sure you're not feelin' anything?" She questioned.

"I'm pretty sure. I wouldn't be walking straight if I was drunk." He replied and put _Standoff_ inside its case. When he closed the large compartment, he straitened up and received a quick kiss from Alyss.

"Is that a thank you for smashing a bottle into that guy's head?" Jace asked with a grin.

"Maybe." She replied with a wink.

"Well what about me?" Auron asked and held his arms out to his side, "I chokeslammed his ass straight into the floor. Can't I get somethin'?"

Alyss laughed and walked up to him to give him a hug. "Is that good?" She asked him.

"It'll have to do," Auron replied with a grin, "Junior's just lucky I didn't throw 'im through a wall like the first time I was here."

"And Weiss, thank you for shutting him up." Alyss said with a smile toward the heiress.

"As I said, he got off easy," Weiss replied with a small grin, "But you're welcome."

* * *

"We'll be there to watch tomorrow, so put on a good show." Yang said as they reached her and Weiss' stop.

"I'm sure we won't put you to sleep." Auron replied.

"Just know that you'll be studied in every motion." Weiss warned him.

Auron chuckled quietly. "I'll try not to disappoint."

"We count on it. See you guys tomorrow." Yang said and the two walked quietly into the room.

It was eleven o'clock at night when they returned and they tried not to make much noise while they walked through the hall. Team JKDW arrived at their room and walked in, then prepared for bed. "So, are you ready for your match tomorrow?" Jace asked Auron as he and Alyss sat on Jace's bed.

"As ready as I can be. It's been a long time since I last fought her, so she might have a few surprises for me. It'll be a hell of a time." Auron said and laid down in his bed.

"I should take a video and send it to Emowyn. Maybe she can show Preacher." Raine said and went to lay on her own bed.

"He'd probably say that I ain't got any better at fightin'. I know he wouldn't mean it. He just likes antagonizin' me," Auron replied with a grin.

"Well. Goodnight." He said and closed his eyes.

The others followed, but Alyss' bed stayed empty as she decided to sleep in Jace's bed with him.

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: Club night's all wrapped up now. I know it was the latter half of the chapter, but I think it did nice there. It had a bit of what everyone did after they attended the classes. Jace and Alyss staying to strategize with Port, Raine training with her bow, and Auron just wanting to relax but ended up cooking. Then they had the Friday to really relax and drink for a bit, with Jace finding out something else about the experiments on accident.**

 **And Jace has something great to look forward to. That'll be a great thing for him. Also, the song used for the ringtone is _Gravity_ by Hollywood Undead.**

 **See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	36. Chapter 35: Like Old Times

**Like Old Times**

"Are you prepared for our match?"

Auron grinned and looked to his old friend. "Damn right. I'm sure I can put up a bit more of a fight this time around."

"I have no doubts that you can," Pyrrha chuckled and thought to a strange sight she saw, "Where is everyone at?" She asked. When she came back to her dorm after her usual jog around Beacon, she found the room unusually deserted.

Auron merely shrugged. "Don't know. Probably already there."

"Perhaps. Maybe they're making sure that the area isn't occupied." Pyrrha wondered and then noticed something, "Where are your weapons?"

Auron shrugged again. "I think my team might've already took 'em there. It's weird," He smiled at being able to talk with her again, then the smiled faded.

"Y'know, Epirus an' Helena were at dad's funeral." Auron said and looked to Pyrrha, who's face took a somber tone.

"After you telling what happened, it doesn't surprise me. Jeffery and my father were close friends," Pyrrha gave a small smile and looked back to Auron, "Ever since our second match in the tournaments."

"Plus mom an' Helena always found somethin' to talk about while our dads talked about our fights," The tall boy gave a sad sigh, "Wish it could go back to that."

"Yes… but no one can turn back time." Pyrrha said sadly.

"I was surprised that you wasn't there, but now I know why." Auron said.

"If I would have known-"

"Don't worry about it. I can't hold that against ya," Auron grinned at her, "I'm glad you've been doin' alright durin' all that."

They arrived at the sparring area and caught sight of their teams, along with team RWBY. "Finally!" Nora yelled out as she noticed the two walk toward them.

"There's your stuff, Auron." Jace said and pointed to a nearby table.

"Thanks, Jace." Auron said and walked over to it.

"We got your's too! They're over…" Nora looked around for a moment as if she'd forgotten, "There!" She pointed Pyrrha over to another table.

"Thank you." Pyrrha said and strode over to her equipment.

As they were preparing themselves, two people arrived, wearing Atlas Academy uniforms, and made their way over to Jace. "Hey Tyr, hey Ashe." Jace greeted them.

"Hello Jace. It's good to see you passed Beacon's initiation." Tyr said with a smile.

"Like you had any doubts." Ashe remarked.

"Ashe?" Raine said as Ashe stepped forward.

"Hey Raine. How've you been?" Ashe asked her.

"How do you two know each other?" Jace asked them both.

"We're both apprentice Rangers." Ashe answered.

"You're the first one I've met that didn't wear a cloak then." Jace remarked.

"I haven't seen you since two years ago. What made you miss the last Gathering?" Raine asked her fellow apprentice.

"Mom was sick and I stayed to help take care of her."

"Oh. I hope she's alright now. It's good to see you again, Ashe."

"Well, since these two already know each other, Tyr, this is Raine and Alyss." Jace introduced the two to the warrior.

"Pleased to meet you both," Tyr placed his fist on his chest and bowed his head, "I take it your other teammate is facing Pyrrha?"

"He is. His name's Auron." Alyss answered.

"Oh, Tyr, I wanted to ask you something. It's more what Genesis wanted to ask before he died." Jace said and Tyr turned back to him.

"What do you wish to ask?"

"I hope it's not bad to ask this. But how did you umm… lose your hand?"

Tyr gave a small smile. "It's alright to ask. You told me how you lost your arm so it is only fair," He said and looked down at his prosthetic, "In my last year of combat school in Vacuo, I discovered my semblance. I panicked greatly and it caused me to lose my hand."

"That sounds like it was really bad. How long did it take for you to get your prosthetic?"

"I wasn't able to get it until my family moved to Atlas. I had to use a longsword in place of my claymore for the time being."

"You had to wait that long? I'm glad you at least got it. Do you get the pains?" Jace asked and brought his prosthetic closer to his body.

Tyr sighed and nodded. "Every day. Some are worse than others. What about you?"

Jace nodded. "Yeah. I get them sometimes. Right now too." He shook his prosthetic and shook his head as well.

"I can try to use my semblance to stop it sometime," Alyss suggested and the two fighters looked to her, "I _did_ heal the pain in Jace's burned arm. Maybe I can help with those pains."

"That… that may be something to try sometime." Tyr said and looked at his prosthetic again.

"Maybe I should've asked about that before," Jace said and gave her a kiss on the cheek, "Thanks for offering."

She smiled brightly at him. "Well, you said you've both had problems with it. I just want to help."

"Hey Alyss!" Ruby walked up to them and gained the Faunus' attention, "Come here real quick." She requested and Alyss nodded. They looked and noticed the arrival of two teams, SSSN and CVFY, and Ruby took Alyss to meet one of them.

"Hey guys, what's going on?" Sun asked when he arrived.

"A sparring match. Pyrrha's going against Auron." Blake answered as Sun sat next to her.

"Who's Auron." He asked and looked around.

"Big guy over there," Jace said and pointed to the gunslinger, "He's my teammate."

"Ooohhh okay. Makes sense. Where's your other teammate? I see him and Alyss but not your other one." Sun said and grew confused.

"I'm right here," Raine said and turned away from Ashe, "I'm Raine, nice to meet you."

"You too, I'm Sun," Sun replied and took quick notice of her ears, then turned back to Jace.

"Two Faunus teammates? You're lucky. I got stuck with waterboy over there." He said and looked over to Neptune, who was talking with Weiss, Yang, and Jaune.

"Hey Sun, I guess he's the one you talked about with the sword?" They heard the tall, dark skinned and green haired boy ask from behind them. Jace noticed his tattoos, the Mistralian numerals along his collarbone along with wings on his chest. He wore his long white coat with both sleeves rolled up, and wore no shirt under it.

"Yeah. Sage, this is Jace. New member of the Big Fucking Sword club." Sun introduced the two with a laugh.

"Welcome to the club then, I guess." Sage said with a grin.

Jace grinned as well. "Good to be in it."

"Hey! Don't forget to introduce me!" They heard someone call from behind them again. It was the pale, red haired member of team SSSN. His hair went over his right eye, he wore a white outfit with a red jacket draped over his left side from his shoulder.

"How could we forget about you?" Sun asked and rolled his eyes.

"Shut up Sun," The arrival said, then turned to Jace, "Scarlet David, pleasure to meet you." Scarlet greeted with a bow.

"Jace Reznor. You guys are an interesting looking team." Jace replied and gave them a grin as Alyss walked up to them.

"Hey Sun." She greeted the blonde boy.

"Hey, how's it going?" Sun asked and noticed Alyss' hand slip into Jace's.

"Really good. How about you?" She said and leaned in on Jace.

"Good, good. So Jace, when did this happen?" Sun asked and pointed to their hands.

Jace grinned. "Few days ago. Could've been sooner but, y'know, nervousness."

"Jace, Raine, come here. Ruby wants you to meet team CVFY." Alyss said and took the two over to the older team.

"So that's a thing." Sun said sidelong to Blake.

"Yes it is. They make a nice couple." She said and smiled toward the two.

"Good for 'em."

"So you're the team that took down an Armaddon?" The leader of team CVFY asked Jace when the three arrived to her.

"That'd be us. Team JKDW." Jace said and nodded his head to her.

Coco studied the three that stood in front of her and looked over to the one preparing for combat, then nodded back. "That's a hell of a thing to do," She said and adjusted her sunglasses, "Port showed us the video and _damn_. You have a nice rifle." She said and nodded to Raine.

Raine grinned at the compliment. "Thanks."

"Anyways, I guess it's time for introductions. I'm Coco. That's Yatsuhashi, Fox, and Velvet. I shouldn't have to tell you not to fuck with Velvet." She said and gestured toward Jace and Alyss' hands.

"You don't have to worry. Nice to meet you all. I'm Jace Reznor." Jace said and looked through the group.

"I'm Raine Daturas. Nice to meet you guys too." Raine greeted.

Velvet looked at the couple and smiled. "It's good to know that some people aren't afraid to date a Faunus."

"I think we were both pretty afraid, but for another reason." Alyss said and smiled happily.

"It looks like you two are happy together." Velvet said and smiled even more.

Jace's eyes met Yatsuhashi's and then they fell on each others' swords on their backs. Jace let go of Alyss' hand and took _Standoff_ from his back, then held it out to the larger boy. He did the same and they inspected the other's sword, eventually returning them.

"Atlesian steel? A very good metal." Yatsuhashi said to Jace.

"Mistralian iron is pretty good too. It's got a good balance." Jace said with a grin.

Fox simply nodded to them as he crossed his arms. "He's not much of a talker." Coco said and soon after, they separated.

Word had gotten around the school and multiple students started to arrive at the area to watch the match. Some had heard that _the_ Pyrrha Nikos was sparring with one of the new students and was curious to why someone like her would take an interest in him. Others from Mistral knew who Auron was and knew that he had faced Pyrrha before. They wanted to witness the rematch.

"I'm ready to go whenever." Auron said and made sure _Last Call_ functioned smoothly.

"I am as well." Pyrrha echoed and turned to face Auron.

Even Ozpin was there to oversee the match himself, along with Glynda, and set up the aura board and light wall around the area to prevent stray gunfire from hitting the onlookers.

The Headmaster looked over the two combatants and took a drink from his mug. "Are you both ready?" He asked them to make sure.

They both nodded and stood ready, Pyrrha holding _Akoúo_ in front of her and _Miló_ in its spear form, pointed forward and above her shield. Auron stood and held _Last Call_ ready to his left side and had the right side of his body toward Pyrrha. They both nodded to each other and smiled.

"Begin!"

The two warriors dashed toward each other and Auron struck first, bringing _Last Call_ at Pyrrha in a side attack. She had to twist her body along with _Akoúo_ to block the left-handed boy's swing. Auron's sword struck her shield and she carried through with the turn and struck at Auron when she completely turned around. He blocked the swinging spear with his armguard and grinned.

Pyrrha grinned in return and jumped in the air, kicking at Auron's chest to propel herself backwards. When Pyrrha landed, she transformed _Miló_ into its rifle form and opened fire. Auron blocked a round with his armguard and sent his aura through his foot and into the ground, bringing up a wall of dust metal. He sent the wall toward Pyrrha and put _Last Call_ to its rifle form, then followed the wall towards her.

Pyrrha saw the wall coming and jumped as she transformed _Miló_ back into a spear. She cleared the wall easily and Auron shot at her with his rifle. Pyrrha blocked the powerful shot with her shield and then launched _Miló_ towards the large boy with a pull of the trigger. He sidestepped and let the spear graze his armguard and used his semblance to launch himself toward Pyrrha, transforming _Last Call_ along the way. He swung at her with a powerful strike, powered by a shot from the exposed barrel, and sent her flying backwards. _Miló_ came back to Pyrrha as the two landed on their feet.

They glanced at the aura display and saw that they weren't even close to halfway done, with each one's aura still being in the eighties, Auron's being lower due to his semblance use. They dashed at each other again and Pyrrha sent her spear flying toward Auron. He smacked it away with his right arm and barely caught _Akoúo_ in his hand. They stopped for a moment and he saw the spear return to Pyrrha. He could see the smile on her face.

"Just like old times." He said to himself and tossed the shield back to her.

She grabbed it and Auron ran after her again. .

* * *

"Yeah! You got this Pyrrha!" Nora called out from the sidelines.

"I think Auron may be a difficult opponent for her," Ren said and leaned forward, "I have never witnessed anyone catch her shield like that."

Jace watched the match unfold with a smile. "I think he can beat her." He said and leaned forward also.

"I don't know… I've seen their last fight on the CCT a few days ago and he could hardly keep up after she started getting into it." Alyss remarked.

"If anything, we're getting to see how our teammate fights against another Hunter." Raine said with a grin. True to her word, she had her scroll out and was taking a video.

Ruby watched the fight intently, mostly paying attention to every detail of Auron's almost archaic-styled weapon. "Oh man, _Last Call_ is such a cool weapon! A classic lever action with a modern design, _and_ it's a one handed claymore!? It's awesome! Plus those double barreled revolvers are something I haven't seen before!" She said excitedly, watching each shell feed into the receiver every time he fired at Pyrrha, "Wow…"

"Sounds like you're more interested in the weapon than the fight, sis." Yang remarked and nudged Ruby's arm.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, the fight's alright so far." Ruby replied and turned back to the match.

* * *

Auron came at Pyrrha with an underhanded slash and as she blocked with _Akoúo_ , he brought a revolver out and shot both barrels into her. She recoiled back and flipped away, landing on her feet to charge back at him. Pyrrha spun around clockwise, gaining momentum, and bashed Auron with her shield to knock his sword out of the way, then kept the spin going to slice with her sword. Auron caught the blade with the barrel of his revolver and spun counterclockwise, _Miló_ sliding past him, and struck her with a recoil-powered shot on her shield with his sword. Her aura took a small hit from the force, making her bolt around in a quick rotation. She jabbed the edge of her shield into Auron's chest, stunning him momentarily, then she spun and bashed him backwards with the full force of her shield and sent him skidding backwards.

Auron exhaled loudly and shook himself as he holstered his revolver. He grinned and the two warriors' blades met again

Auron slashed at Pyrrha with an uppercut and she blocked his blade with _Akoúo_. From there, the two traded blows over and over, sword meeting sword, _Last Call_ clashing against _Akoúo_ , _Miló_ skidding across Auron's armguard, all in a constant flurry of motion by the two. Pyrrha ducked a side strike and Auron drove his knee upwards into her chest, stunning her a bit. She reeled back and he slashed at her midsection, then slashed back across in two fast strikes. Pyrrha blocked the last and pushed back with her shield, then jumped and raised her knee, striking Auron in the chin. She returned his attack by jabbing forward with _Miló_ multiple _times_ while he was stunned. She spun around clockwise and bashed the edge of _Akoúo_ hard into Auron's chest with the momentum of the turn, knocking him backward.

Auron kept on his feet and paused as they both glanced to the aura display. He was on fifty percent while Pyrrha sat at sixty-five.

Auron came at her with an overhand cut and she blocked and knocked it from his purposefully-loose grip with _Miló_ , sending it flying into the air. Pyrrha saw the weapon fly from his grasp and snapped her attention back to him. He sent his aura through the ground and brought up a metal shaft from the ground. He grabbed it and ripped it up, then swung at Pyrrha quickly, striking her in the side under her shield. He quickly brought it back and swung downward as he sent a shaft of metal from the ground to knock her shield out of the way. His temporary weapon crashed into her shoulder and she fell to her knee.

Auron swung it again from the side and Pyrrha blocked it as she came back to her feet. The shaft crumbled and Auron pulled out _Smoke & Preacher_ and blocked Pyrrha's counterattack with them. He fired off both barrels of both revolvers, freeing his weapons with the recoil and causing Pyrrha to back off. He tightened his hands around the grips and went on the attack, swinging the heavy barrels of his revolvers against her. Auron's new tactic paid off as Pyrrha's confusion grew from the change. She brought _Akoúo_ up to block and Auron spun a revolver in his hand to grab the barrel. He hooked her shield with the grip and pulled it down with his right weapon and slammed the barrel of the left into her right shoulder, stunning her. She lifted and thrusted her foot, striking him in the gut and buying her some distance. She backpedaled away as Auron grabbed the grip of his right revolver again.

He fired off shot after shot toward her, watching as she blocked most shots with her shield. She took off running around the field, transforming _Miló_ to its rifle form and firing back. Auron was able to block some shots with his armguard, but was ultimately defenseless in ranged combat with her. He kept shooting at her, some shots grazing her, a small few striking her fully, but most shots missing and striking the light wall shielding the spectators. He ran out of rounds in his revolvers and holstered his left one, then ran to retrieve his sword and close the distance.

His aura was below thirty percent while Pyrrha's was at forty. He used his semblance once more, bringing up a wall of metal and he launched it toward the red-haired warrior. He used it one more time and propelled himself forward behind the wall. The wall shattered and disintegrated on contact with Pyrrha's shield. She let her shield fall for one moment, then Auron flew through the dust in the air and connected a powerful strike with Pyrrha's midsection, powered by a blast from _Last Call_ , sending her flying across the field. She landed on her back and rolled through, then came back to her feet.

She glanced at the aura display and saw that her aura was only just above Auron's after that attack, on thirty-four percent while his was twenty-eight

The two met once again and went all out. Auron used his revolver and armguard to block most strikes while using _Last Call_ to keep his attack going. He struck out with the barrel of the revolver again, which happened to be the black and gray one, and was able to strike her a few times with it past her shield.

Pyrrha slipped into a different state of mind as she began to block and dodge every single one of Auron's attacks. This was the mindset she always slipped into late in a match, whether it was the Mistral Regional Tournaments or even a training match with anyone. The competition of it all is what gets to her and makes her who she is. She focused her mind even more sharply and placed even more accurate slashes at Auron's midsection, left arm, and left thigh, and frequently jabbed him with her shield. Every so often, she used her semblance ever-so-slightly to redirect some of Auron's strikes to the side, keeping from damage.

All of the assembled students knew this was the last legs of the match and they all stood from their seats, eying the action intently while keeping a close eye on the aura display.

Auron used his semblance again and caused a pillar to rise and knock Pyrrha into the air. He did the same for himself and went after her into the sky. Auron used the final few rounds in _Last Call_ to give power to his attacks, working the lever with his aura after each blast, and Pyrrha blocked them with _Miló_. The impacts took a heavy hit on her aura, but she counterattacked and jabbed quickly at Auron with _Akoúo_ and broke broke his guard, then she slashed at him with a powerful attack with _Miló_. They landed on the ground an glanced at the aura display.

Twelve for Auron and fifteen for Pyrrha, just above the ten percent limit.

The two warriors nodded to each other once more and dashed toward one another. When they met, Auron went for a side swing with _Last Call_ , but Pyrrha ducked and slid under it, striking out hard at his midsection with _Miló_. They stopped and turned around mere feet from each other, facing off again and ready to continue the fight.

"The match is over!" Everyone heard Ozpin call.

They all looked to the display and saw the bars under each portrait. Pyrrha's was still on fifteen percent, while Auron's was sitting at two percent after the heavy hit, deep in the red.

"The winner is Ms. Nikos!"

Everyone started clapping for the effort that the two had given. All the ones that had seen their fights before clapped and cheered even harder, but not as hard as their friends. Auron spun his revolver on his middle finger and holstered it, then set _Last Call_ on his back.

"Dust! That was a good fight!" He called out with a laugh.

"It was! You fought well Auron!" Pyrrha called back and they walked toward each other

"I didn't expect you to purposefully lose your weapon, or use your semblance to strike me with the metal. I didn't even expect you to use your revolvers as you did," Pyrrha smiled at him, "You've definitely grown."

"Thanks. You can learn a lot when you fight for your life," He grinned and stepped forward to hug her, "Definitely good to see you again, Pyr."

"I'm glad to be attending the same academy as you." Pyrrha replied and hugged back.

Ozpin walked over to the two and smiled. "You both fought extremely well. I can see why your fights were liked by so many."

"Thank you sir." They both said, and Auron took Pyrrha's wrist and raised her hand in victory to the other students. Auron grinned and Pyrrha bowed her head.

* * *

"Woo! I knew you could do it Pyrrha!" Nora called out and jumped up and down in celebration.

"You gotta admit that Auron put up a damn good fight." Jace said and stretched his limbs.

Nora ceased her movements and nodded. "You're right about that, I guess." She agreed and turned to cheer even louder.

"Now I really wish we could be in the tournament." Jace said and glanced over to Alyss and Raine, who nodded in agreement.

"Man, if people in the tournament give us a fight like that, I'll really need to train more." Jaune said and chuckled.

"Auron was right. It really didn't put us to sleep." Yang said with a grin and stood up.

"That was very amusing to watch, not to mention interesting." Weiss said and grinned slightly at there being another student that will be as highly ranked as her in combat classes.

"What do you think Rubes?" Yang asked and turned toward her sister, who wasn't there anymore. All that was there was a single rose petal.

"Ruby? Where'd you go?"

Blake nudged Yang's arm and pointed toward Pyrrha and Auron. Ruby was right next to them as she looked over Auron's weapon, while he was gesturing to the receiver of it.

"I shouldn't even be surprised." Yang said and shook her head.

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: Just like old times for the two. Hopefully I did Pyrrha justice with how I wrote this fight. I think this one was a fun chapter to write, just because of the fight. I wanted to showcase Auron's fighting ability and show how he made it to the last match every time. And how much he improved since then. Remember when it was said she danced around most of his attacks before? Auron had the element of surprise on his side considering it had been so long since the two had seen each other.**

 **And there's SSSN and CFVY. Coco's friendly with them because she knows the won't, you know, fuck with Velvet. And I figured Yatsu would be interested in Jace's sword, considering they're basically the same other than looks. And Fox is the quiet one, but I feel that he just studies new people before he talks to them.**

 **Also, Jace is the new member of the Big Fucking Sword Club.**

 **See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	37. Chapter 36: Eye of the Storm

**Eye of the Storm**

"Anyone busy tomorrow?" Jace asked teams RWBY and JNPR after they exited the dining hall. It was just after Auron and Pyrrha's match and the two were there to fill themselves up from the exertion of energy. Everyone shook their heads.

"Nah, we're all takin' a breather from everything before we kick up our training." Yang said for her team.

"Same here. I'm just taking a break from Nora's hammer," Jaune said and glanced around at his team, "Why?"

Alyss spoke before Jace could answer. "Movie day. Jace has one that I need to finish." She said and drew the question from Ruby.

"What movie is it?"

Jace gave a grin. "It's called _Finalis Phantasia VII_. Movie adaptation and remaster of all the games and movie in order." He answered and both Ruby and Yang stopped in their tracks.

"You have the whole adaptation!?" Ruby asked in shock.

"Yeah. I guess you've heard of it." Jace remarked.

"Yeah we've heard of it!" Yang said and smiled, "We played through the main game for months trying to just do everything! The whole movie of it all is freakin' rare now! Hell yeah we'll be there!"

"There are two others here to ask, if you've forgotten." Weiss said and looked at the two sisters as she squeezed Yang's hand.

"I'll watch too." Blake said casually. "It sounds pretty interesting, apparently."

"Oh it really is!" Ruby almost yelled and jumped up and down in excitement, "You'll love it!"

"Well, what do you guys say?" Jaune asked his team.

"Sounds fun. I'm game!" Nora said immediately. Pyrrha and Ren nodded their heads.

"We'll be there too then." Jaune said and they entered the dorm building.

* * *

The next morning started off with Jace making sure that the common area of the dorms was free for the day. When he saw that no one was there, he set the movie up and let the menu music play as he sat on the couch next to Alyss.

"When do you think they'll be here?" Alyss asked as she scooted closer to Jace.

"I don't know. I left a note on our door and I slid notes under the others' doors. I guess we just have to wait until they wake up." He answered and shrugged.

"It'll be fun for sure." Alyss said and leaned her head against his shoulder.

Jace smiled widely at the contact. "I can get used to sitting next to you if you always lean against me like that." He said and planted a kiss on the base of one of her cat ears.

Alyss purred in delight at the touch. "Same here if you keep doing _that_." She said and relaxed against him.

"I take it its okay for me to do that." Jace said with a smile.

"Yeah, I really like that feeling."

"I'm glad. I know it's bad to touch a Faunus' ears or anything without their permission, but I just couldn't help it."

"Don't worry. It's… I just really like it."

They waited for thirty minutes before the first people showed up. "How did I guess you guys would be the first ones here?" Jace said with a grin as he and Alyss made room on the couch.

"Of course! I don't think anyone else knows what we're even talkin' about." Yang said and the two sisters sat on the couch.

"Ooohhh maaaann this is gonna be awesome!" Ruby said excitedly and waited as patiently as she could.

"Have you two beat the superbosses?" Jace asked after the two settled on the couch.

"Oh dust no! Those things were the bane of my existence back then." Yang answered.

"I beat one!" Ruby declared proudly, "Have you?" She asked in return.

"Nope. I'll be honest, I tried one time and got destroyed. I gave up on them and never tried again. But Gen came so close to beating one of the more powerful ones. I _did_ beat the one in _Heart of Crisis_ though." Jace said and saw their eyes go wide.

"You beat the Goddess!? How!?" Ruby asked far more loudly than what she should've. "I could never find the secret to beat her!"

Jace grinned at the memory. "Coin toss. I built up my money for a long time and used 'Coin Toss' to get the max damage on her. It was a fun time." Jace answered and waited for a response.

"Kind of a cheap way to beat it." Yang remarked.

"When you've went through it over a hundred times and died every time, then you look for any way to do it," Jace said with a shrug, then grinned, "And there was nothing cheap about getting all that money to throw."

"I guess I'll give ya that." Yang said and shook her head with a small grin.

"I'm seriously lost right now…" Alyss said after a moment.

Jace smiled and put another kiss on her furry cat ear. "You can have that for your confusion." He said to her as she purred again from the kiss.

"Aww, that's so cute!" Ruby practically squealed. Alyss blushed at that and smiled a bit.

"Ruby, don't embarrass the girl." Yang said and smacked her arm lightly.

Jace laughed and hugged Alyss tightly. "I agree with Ruby."

"Jaaaace," Alyss giggled a bit as her blush deepened, "You keep up and I'll have to limit your kisses."

"Ohhh she's got you there!" Yang laughed.

"True enough," Jace sighed and kissed Alyss on the cheek.

"Oh, and just so you two know," Jace started and got both sisters' attention, "The ending of _Heart of Crisis_ still gets to me. I'm gonna cry." He warned.

"Aw it's alright Jace. I know I will too." Ruby said.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to say that Weiss and Blake are still getting ready." Yang said and tried to calm her own excitement.

The others arrived after ten more minutes and noticed the four already on the couch.

"You two are really excited about this aren't you?" Jaune asked with a grin as he saw Ruby visibly jumping up and down in excitement.

"Yeah we are! Now that everyone's here we can finally start it!" The diminutive brunette said and looked toward the screen as if it would automatically start.

"Ruby, don't you think that everyone should find their seat first?" Blake asked and sat in a chair next to her beside the couch, while Yang pulled Weiss into her lap, drawing an 'eep' from her.

"Oh… yeah. I guess that should happen, huh?" Ruby replied and calmed herself down.

"It's actually surprising to see Pyrrha here," Yang said and looked toward the champion, "Don't you usually go on runs in the mornings?"

Pyrrha nodded and smiled. "Usually. But I believe I may be allowed one day to relax." She said and set a seat down behind the couch to sit in.

"'Specially after we knocked the tar outta each other yesterday." Auron said with a grin.

"That is also a reason." Pyrrha grinned as well.

Jaune did the same and brought a chair over to sit next to her. "That goes for all of us. With the tournament starting next week, we'll be using this week to just go all out with training."

"I think you all need a good day's break," Jace said, "We'll be cheering for all of you when it starts." He said and started up the movie when everyone was ready.

"So, we got a movie that lasts all day," Auron said and looked through everyone, "What are we doin' for supper?"

Nora turned in her seat next to her quiet boyfriend and stared at him. "Reeeeen…"

Ren gave a good-natured sigh and looked to the energetic girl. "Yes, Dear?"

"You know what to do when the time comes."

"For twelve people?" Ren asked and took a deep breath.

"You'll have some help." Auron offered.

"I believe I will need it."

"I can help too! If it's too much for you guys." Yang chipped in.

* * *

From starting the movie at noon, it was finally finished at ten o'clock that night.

"Dust, it's so good to see all that again." Jace said with a smile and rubbed at his eyes, then went to retrieve his movie.

"Yeah it was. You're weren't kidding when you said it still gets to you." Ruby said got up to stretch.

"I didn't expect to see you cry, that's for sure." Raine remarked at the fact.

Auron stood up from his seat next to Raine and rolled his neck. "Yeah, I think that did a bit o' somethin' to everyone." He said, then everyone glanced over to where Weiss was sitting, snuggled up close to Yang.

"What?" She asked when everyone's eyes were on her.

"Yes, it was very sad, I'll admit." She said and turned away.

"Aw come on Snowflake. We all saw you bawl your eyes out at that part with the sad music it played, and the middle of the second act." Yang teased her and started to rub at her own eyes as if wiping tears away.

"Don't even start Yang!" Weiss retorted and crossed her arms in a huff as Yang laughed merrily.

* * *

"Good night guys." Ruby said as everyone separated from the hallway. Everyone replied the same and each made their way to their rooms.

"You fought really good in your match yesterday Auron." Jace said as he unlocked their door.

"You really did. I'm gonna send the video to Emowyn tomorrow." Raine said and drew a laugh from Auron.

"Be sure to tell me what they all say." He replied and walked toward his dresser.

They each prepared for bed and sat at the table for a while before they went to sleep.

"What're we gonna do tomorrow?" Alyss asked the group.

"I might take apart _Jackhammer_ an' _Last Call_. Make sure everything's workin' right an' clean 'em." Auron said and shrugged.

"I might do some target practice. I don't know really." Raine said.

"Do you think the fairgrounds are set up yet?" Jace asked everyone. They all shrugged at the question.

"Hmm. We'll have to see then. What do you say Alyss? While they're doing their thing, you wanna head to the fair?" Jace asked his girlfriend.

"Hmm… Alright. It's a date." She answered and gave him a kiss.

Auron shook his head and chuckled. "Y'all are makin' me feel all lonely." He said with a hurt expression.

"Aw come on," Jace started and laughed, "You got some good friends. How can you be lonely?"

Auron grinned and nodded. "That, I do. Speakin' of that, I gotta teach y'all how to make your own ammo sometime."

* * *

"Damn…" Jace said when he looked up into the sky, "That thing's impressive."

He and Alyss looked up to the Amity Colosseum in awe of the technological wonder. The product of all Kingdoms bringing their resources together as a greater sign of peace after the Great War. It utilized every bit of dust that was brought into it to keep it afloat and create the battlefields for the contestants.

It made for quite the sight to be sure.

"This is the first time I've ever seen it in person…" Alyss said and gripped Jace's hand a bit tighter.

They arrived at the fairgrounds where multiple vendors had already set up their booths. At the moment, their were only a couple of food and souvenir stands set up and only two booths with entertainment for anyone attending the festival, but many more were in the process of construction. The list of all the contestants and their weapons had been released to the public, of those that agreed, and some toy companies used that to their advantage. One notable omission from that list was Blake's name along with _Gambol Shroud._ Some of the souvenirs were toy versions of the weapons that the contestants used. A few children were running around with them. One had a toy _Crescent Rose_ , swinging playfully at one that had a toy _Crocea Mors_. They couldn't transform, of course, as they were mostly foam and plastic.

Jace had to admit it was funny to see the children wielding those toys. "I'm surprised that they can even make these to sell." He remarked as they stopped at the stand.

"It probably hypes up the fights along with giving kids toys to play with." Alyss said as she looked at the full-scythe version of _Crescent Rose_. "A kid can either have something as crazy as Ruby's scythe or as simple as Sage's or Yatsuhasi's swords."

Jace looked around and laughed at seeing a couple more children with different ones, namely the rifle form of _Miló_. "And it's pretty cool that they can shoot those little foam darts too."

They walked on and Alyss looked back up to the colosseum. "I can't wait until the tournament starts. I really want to go up there."

"When does it start anyways?" Jace asked as they walked through the area.

"I think next week is what Jaune said. I can't remember." The cat Faunus replied and leaned against him as they walked.

* * *

Auron had _Last Call_ taken apart fully on the table. He glanced out the window and whistled lowly at seeing the colosseum up in the sky now. He looked back to his work and looked over every little part of his weapon from the receiver, to the firing pin, to the lever and to the trigger. He made sure everything was undamaged and oiled every piece.

This was the easy part of his day.

Auron put his weapon back together easily and made sure it still transformed smoothly, and then went to sharpen the edge of the blade. With his way of doing it, it took him half an hour of running a whetstone along the blade. When he finished honing the razor sharp blade, he set _Last Call_ on his bed.

Now came the hard part of his day.

Auron stepped towards the wall where _Jackhammer_ was resting and took it down. He held it and turned it over in his hands. The hard part wasn't how to take it apart to clean it, he knew every inch and part of the weapon. The hard part was that it was his father's weapon and the memories that came with touching it again.

The memories that came to his mind brought a smile to his lips. The memory of Smoke training him as a child along with Preacher helping also. The day Auron graduated Sanctum was a proud day for him, his father, mother, sister, and Preacher. He remembered the day spent saying goodbye to some of his friends and he remembered how goodbyes always made him tear up.

Then he frowned as the memory broke into his mind of how Smoke was taken from them.

He pushed that memory aside with a sigh and started to take _Jackhammer_ apart.

After an hour with the weapon, Auron had it put back together. He looked at it and decided to take it to the school's firing range to make sure it fired well.

* * *

"So he actually got the chance to fight her again?" Emowyn asked Raine, who was taking a break from her target practice.

"Yeah, I got a video of it too. He fought really good. I'm gonna send it over soon. How have you guys been over in Mistral?" Raine asked.

"Well, we finally got the White Fang and Crimson Lance stuff straightened out from a few months ago. The outpost was cleared out and investigated… but…" Emowyn stopped and hesitated.

"What is it?"

"I'm sure it's nothing… Anyways, how's Beacon so far?" Emowyn asked after clearing her head.

"It's really good. Most of the people are friendly and Ozpin seems like a great headmaster." Raine answered.

"Well that's good to hear. I'm gonna let you go now. See you later Raine, love you."

"Love you too. I'll send that video in a few minutes. Bye." Raine said and the two sisters ended the call. Raine let the video of Auron and Pyrrha's fight send and went to practice more.

* * *

"Oh! I'm really sorry about that!" Jace said after he accidentally bumped into someone. She had bright orange hair with a pink now in it, her eyes were green and her face had a fair amount of freckles.

"Oh it's alright. It was an accident after all." She said and bowed her head a bit.

"Still though, I should've been watching were I was going," Jace said and looked to her, "Are you here for the tournament?"

The girl's face brightened up in a smile. "Yes I am! Salutations! My name is Penny Polendina! Are you participating as well?"

"Sadly, no. My team was formed too late to qualify. We only took the initiation last Monday." Jace answered and drew another question from the girl.

"That is months after the start of the first semester. How were you able to take an initiation that late?"

"We had… a lot of different things happening at the time. But Ozpin gave us the second chance. I actually came from Atlas a while ago. Where are you from?"

"I am from Atlas as well. I don't believe I have ever met you there. What is your name?" Penny asked and Jace face-palmed and sighed.

"I never even introduced myself after you did," He said and laughed, "I'm Jace Reznor, nice to meet you Penny. Oh," Jace said when he saw Alyss approaching them, "This is Alyss Wystar. My teammate and girlfriend." Jace introduced the two and held Alyss' hand.

"Salutations Alyss Wystar! My name is Penny Polendina!" Penny greeted the cat Faunus.

"Hello Penny. How did you two meet?" Alyss asked them.

"I accidentally bumped into her a minute ago." Jace answered her, then Penny addressed them both.

"There are not many Faunus-human couples that I have ever seen. It is interesting." She said and drew smiles from them both.

"I'm glad that you're not against it. This is the happiest I've ever been, being with her." Jace said and kissed Alyss' cheek.

"Same with me." She agreed.

"That is great to hear." Penny said, then looked at Jace's left arm.

"Oh, I know it isn't my place to ask, but your arm felt like it was metal when you bumped into me. What happened?"

Jace shrugged and rolled up his left sleeve, revealing the metal of his prosthetic and drawing a gasp from her. "I was in a bad fight a few months ago and I lost my arm. It was a really bad time in my life." He answered easily and smiled to Alyss, "And after I met her, everything was just better."

"I am very sorry to hear that. But you look happy, so that is what matters." Penny said before a voice cut across the area.

"Penny, where are you!?"

"Oh, coming Ciel!" Penny called back, "I have to go. It was nice to meet you both." She said and ran toward the other girl.

"That was interesting." Alyss said after a moment.

"Yeah, it was. Well, what do you want to do?" Jace asked his companion.

Alyss thought for a moment and shrugged, "There's not really much here yet. Hmm…" She looked around for anything to catch her eye, then she caught sight of someone.

"Hey Jace, isn't that Jack? The boy we helped?" She asked and Jace looked over to where she pointed.

He could see the boy's brown and white tail moving around behind him and when he turned around, they saw he had bright brown eyes. When the boy spoke to his mother, his voice was familiar. He carried a toy version of Sage's sword.

"I think it is. Wanna go say hi?" Jace asked.

"Yeah, let's go." She answered and they walked toward the two Faunus.

"Hey Jack. How've you been?" Alyss asked the boy and he turned around in confusion.

His confusion turned to happiness when he saw the two people that helped him. "Hey, you have another arm!" He exclaimed toward Jace and grabbed his mother's attention as her Faunus ears perked up.

She recognized them and gave the two a warm smile. "Hello you two. I don't believe we ever caught each others' names when we met. My name is Caitlyn."

"I'm Jace Reznor."

"Alyssia Wystar. Just call me Alyss."

"It's good to see you both doing well." Caitlyn said.

"Thank you. I'm glad you're doing good too," Jace said and grinned at the boy, "And yeah Jack, I got a prosthetic. It was the day after we met actually." He kneeled down to the boy's level. He took off his glove and rolled up his sleeve to let him see.

"Whoa, you're like part robot!"

"Well I never thought about that," Alyss said with a smirk, "A Faunus dating a human is one thing, but dating a human that's part robot? _Weird._ " She finished and laughed.

"Oh, you're both together?" Caitlyn asked them both, who smiled widely in return.

"Yeah. We are. I know I keep sounding like a broken record," Jace said and grinned at Alyss, "But this is the happiest I've ever been." He finished and stood up after Jack was done looking at his arm.

Alyss planted a soft kiss on his cheek as he rose. "Same here."

"That's so sweet." Caitlyn said and smiled more.

"So Jack, I see you've got a weapon with you." Jace remarked.

"Yeah!" Jack said and set the sword on his shoulder, "I wanted one like yours."

That caught Jace off guard and his eyes widened a bit. "Y-you wanted one like mine? Even when you could have _Crescent Rose_ or _Miló_?"

Jack nodded. "Those people aren't my heroes."

"Your hero?" Jace echoed.

"He really hasn't stopped talking about you. About how you knocked that man out after freezing his mouth shut," Caitlyn said, "He says that he wants a sword exactly like yours."

Jace still couldn't believe his ears. "Umm… T-thank you… for calling me your hero." He said after a few moments.

"He wants to get one like yours, but he never saw your weapon," Caitlyn said towards Alyss, "He thinks of you the same way."

"You do?" Alyss asked the boy and he nodded. "I don't know what to say…"

Jace patted the boy on the shoulder. "If… If you can wait until next year, We'll be in the tournament too. Then you can have one exactly like ours."

Jack smiled and his tail started to wag. "I can't wait, then!"

They parted ways shortly after and Jace and Alyss stood there for several moments. "A… A hero…" Jace said quietly and put his hand over his mouth. He still couldn't grasp it.

"Y-you okay?" Alyss asked with tears in her eyes.

"Yeah… I just can't believe that I'm considered a hero to someone."

"Same here…"

"Alyss… Next year… let's make sure we win." Jace said. Alyss nodded and they finally walked on. They decided to go to one of the food vendors, which turned out to be the same man that ran _From Dust Till Dawn_.

* * *

"Hey guys, we're back." Jace said as he and Alyss stepped into their dorm.

"You two have fun?" Raine asked them.

"Yeah, but there wasn't much to do." Alyss said and sat in a chair at the table.

Jace went to grab all of the pistol parts he had bought and laid everything on the table. "About time your doin' somethin' with all that." Auron said from where he was cleaning his revolvers near the window.

"Yeah, I know. Needed to do it sooner than later."

He took every part and laid them out in front of him on the table, then finally opened up the package he received. It was a custom grip and slide he ordered from Century Arms, both requested to be made with lines on the sides that light up with different dust rounds, just like _Atronach_.

"Well, I hope I don't mess up." Jace said and went to work.

* * *

Jace blasted the training bots with his new pistol as they came at him, unloading all nine rounds into them until he had to reload. He had three extra magazines so he quickly ejected the empty one and inserted another, watching the lines on the sides light up red with the first chambered round.

His team watched on in the training room, seeing his smile as he pulled the trigger each time, watching the runes change color with each round in in the chamber, seeing the heavy slide work with each time he fired. Alyss smiled at seeing her boyfriend and leader so happy, and she watched with her own happiness.

With the last magazine empty, Jace put the pistol in its holster on the back of his belt and materialized a burn claymore to cut the remaining few training bots down, ending the session.

"This is better than my old one." Jace said and sat down next to Alyss.

"Have you thought of a name for it yet?" She asked and leaned closer to him.

"I might go with _Ebon_ because it's basically a better version of _Ebonshot_." Jace said and brought up his new pistol to look it over. The runes on the side were black for the moment while it wasn't loaded. Jace smiled again at having his own pistol once more.

"What're ya gonna do with _Atronach_?" Auron asked.

Jace sighed and brought out the revolver, holding both in his hands. "I might keep it on me. Maybe on the inner part of my jacket. I don't want to just leave it and forget about it,"

"Or…" Jace got the attention of the others, "I could let Alyss use it as a backup."

Alyss' ears shot up. "You'd really let me use your brother's old revolver?" She asked in surprise.

Jace kissed her on the forehead. "Yeah, I think I can trust you to take care of it, and I know he wouldn't mind."

Jace handed the revolver out to her, but she hesitated to take it. "Are you sure?" She asked and he laughed.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Jace said with a grin and she finally took hold of it. "Plus, you only have one weapon so it might be nice to have a backup."

Alyss held the pistol in her hand and looked at it, then hugged Jace with her free arm. "Thanks for trusting me, then."

The team stood up and left, heading back to their dorm to prepare for the next day. On the way back, they ran into Tyr and Ashe in the courtyard and stopped to talk to them. "Hey guys. How've you been?" Jace asked them.

"We're well. We've been preparing for the tournament." Tyr answered him.

"I didn't know you guys were in it," Jace said and motioned to Auron, "By the way, this is Auron."

"Howdy." Auron greeted the two.

"Pleasure to meet you Auron," Tyr greeted back, "You fought well against Pyrrha."

"Thanks. We fought a lot before an' just wanted to do it for old times sake." Auron said with a smile.

"I take it they won't let you use your cloak?" Alyss asked Ashe.

"I probably could, but I won't out of fairness. I still have it in our room though." She answered her.

"I think we'll let you both go rest now," Jace said and nodded to them, "I'm sure you'll need it."

"That is true," Tyr said and the two turned to take their leave, "Until our paths cross again."

* * *

In a warehouse in the industrial district of Vale, a small meeting was taking place.

A woman wearing a crimson dress decorated in intricate yellow designs was sitting elegantly in a chair. She had black hair draped over her left eye and extending to past her shoulders, ending in grayed tips. Her amber eyes looked through the small but deadly group of Faunus in front of her.

"Adam, are your forces in place?" The woman asked the red and black-haired bull Faunus sitting across from her.

"Yes, they are. They will be ready when the time comes." The White Fang Commander replied to her.

"I see your lieutenant is with you, but who," Cinder directed her stare at the seven and a half foot tall Faunus with the large sword and tower shield, "is this?"

"He is the leader of the Crimson Lance. A special branch of the Fang. His forces will be spread through Vale when we strike while mine will be at Beacon." Adam replied and tilted his head slightly, "Is there a problem?"

"He seems as though he will be a great help to our goal." Cinder remarked and drew a scowl from Hawk under his mask

"I have no interest in your goals, human…" Hawk said spitefully and glared at Cinder, "I am here for my own purpose. Not anyone else's."

Cinder looked at the large Faunus with an amused expression. "And what would your goals be?"

"I am only here for two people. One escaped prisoner and one with knowledge I seek. Believe me when I say this. If you, Torchwick, or your lapdogs step in my path, I will make your death slow."

"Hmm…" Cinder's eye flared brightly from being threatened, but she let it die down and addressed Adam, "Are you sure this one can be trusted?"

Adam let a short laugh escape him at the question. "Believe me Cinder…"

"Vale will fall."

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: We're inching closer and closer to the tournament, and this is actually the halfway point in the story. It'll certainly get more interesting from here.**

 **I went with Eye of the Storm for the name of this chapter instead of The Calm Before the Storm. Because this is after everything that Jace and Auron went through but it's before it all goes bad again.**

 **See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	38. Chapter 37: Time Flies

**Time Flies**

"How long are you gonna be gone?" Ruby asked Jace and his team at breakfast.

"Hard to say really," Jace answered and shrugged, "It shouldn't take more than a few days. Especially if Ironwood would let us take the _Ravensword_ over there."

"Think he'd be that nice?" Yang asked.

"Well, he let me in their labs when I was there with Jace." Alyss replied and smiled at the memory.

"I suppose all you can do is ask." Weiss stated plainly.

"Yeah, that should be the first thing I do." Jace replied and took a drink from his water.

"Oh, can we go back to that pond?" Alyss asked hopefully and looked to Jace.

"Yeah. Definitely."

"You guys should be back for the tournament, right?" Ruby asked them.

"Oh yeah, we ain't missin' all y'all openin' up cans o' whoop-ass on each other." Auron said and laughed.

"Language…" Yang wagged her index finger at him and pointed toward Ruby.

"Yang, I don't think you can say anything about 'language,'" Blake spoke up, taking her eyes from her book and smirking at the blonde, "I think you woke up team JNPR along with our other neighbors last night after you stubbed your toe, not to mention making Ruby bolt into the ceiling from yelling out a few colorful words."

"Yeah! And my head still hurts!" Ruby glared at her sister.

"Is that what I heard?" Jace asked them. He was on the verge of sleep in bed with Alyss the night before when he heard a random yell from somewhere.

Yang looked at her partner and put a hand over her own heart. "Blake, I would never say those words around my little sister!" She said and looked to team JKDW, "You guys believe me right?"

"I ain't gettin' involved." Auron said and held his hands up.

"Oh really, dear?" Weiss said before the others could respond, "Need I remind you that last week in training, Nora knocked you into a wall and you exclaimed, 'motherf-'"

"Alright alright alright! Point proven! We can drop it." Yang said and crossed her arms as everyone laughed, especially Ruby.

"Told you I've heard worse from you, Yang!"

* * *

"Hello everyone. I understand you wanted to speak to General Ironwood." Ozpin said as team JKDW stood in front of his desk.

They noticed the General was accompanied by a woman with platinum colored hair and ice-blue eyes, wearing mostly light blue and white. Her hair was draped over her right eye and the rest was held up in a bun.

"Yes sir." Jace said and looked to the General.

"What is it, Jace?" Ironwood asked.

"Would you let us board the _Ravensword_ back to Atlas for a few days?" Jace asked simply, causing Ironwood to raise an eyebrow.

"For what reasons?"

"I believe…" Ozpin started and gained Ironwood's attention, "Mr. Reznor would like to deliver two headstones to his house near Atlas. Would that be correct?"

"Yeah, that's why," Jace confirmed, "I wanted to see about taking the _Ravensword_ because I want to be sure we can make it back in time for the tournaments."

"I take it they are for Haile and Genesis?" Ironwwod asked.

"Yes sir. I want to get them there before the tournament starts."

"When would you like to go?"

"As soon as possible."

Ironwood thought for a moment and nodded. "Get prepared then. I'll call Viktor and have him set the _Ravensword_ at the airdocks below Beacon. Meet him there at two o'clock. Remember to dress warm."

* * *

"So this is the _Ravensword_ , huh?" Raine asked after they parked the vehicles in the cargo bay.

"Yeah. Fastest airship in the fleet according to Weiss." Alyss remarked.

"It is the damn fastest! Don't let anyone tell ya different!" They heard Viktor yell at the doorway.

"Hello sir, good to see you again." Jace said to the pilot.

"Don't give me that 'sir' crap. Makes me feel old. Jus' call me Viktor. Now, who's these other two?" Viktor asked.

"Auron Karmine." Auron greeted and nodded.

"Raine Daturas. We're their teammates." Raine said.

"You can tell 'em the rules. Find a place to be an' get ready for takeoff." Viktor said and exited the cargo bay.

"What rules? Auron and Raine asked in unison.

"Don't litter or break anything." Alyss started with a grin.

"Or he'll throw our asses out in mid-air." Jace finished and they both laughed.

* * *

"So we're here now. Damn, it's cold," Auron remarked and shook himself a bit, "Where to?" He asked and turned to Jace.

"We're gonna go shopping for food, then I think you should fix us something at the house."

Auron looked at him for a moment, then shrugged. "Fine. Let's get on with it then."

They made their way from the _Ravensword_ and Jace led them to a grocery store, staying there for a bit and finding food to prepare, along with drinks, then set off to Jace's house from there. The two vehicles went the speed limit throughout the city and the highway leading outside the walls. Jace kept from weaving through traffic in order for Auron to follow him easily. From arriving in Atlas around seven o'clock that day, they made it to Jace's house close to ten. The team parked their vehicles in front of the house and went inside.

"Damn, this is your house?" Auron asked as they stepped through the door, taking off his duster as he did.

"Yeah, pretty peaceful too." Jace said and took a deep breath as he flipped the lights and the heat on.

"Still weird for you?" Alyss asked and gripped his hand tighter.

Jace smiled at the feeling. "Yeah. Kinda. But hey, at least I have some friends with me."

The two briefly kissed and made their way to the couches. Auron and Raine followed them and sat on the other couch.

"So, how's everyone sleepin'?" Auron asked.

"There's three rooms. Dad's, mine, and Gen's. I think Auron can sleep my old one, Raine can sleep in Gen's, and me and Alyss can sleep in dad's. I think I'm okay with that now." Jace answered.

"That'll work, I guess. You have anything to eat?" Raine asked after her stomach growled.

Everyone looked to Auron. "Fine, fine. I'll fix somethin'." He said and rolled his eyes.

* * *

"Everything seems to be normal with it right now," Seabolte said as he inspected the actuators in Jace's prosthetic, "A prosthetic like this is _normally_ made for someone who lost their limb at a younger age who still has room to grow. As I thought on it after your call, I found that your semblance poses a problem."

"What is it?" Jace asked as he sat in the chair.

"The actuators used in these prosthetics are made to expand. Activate your semblance for me," Seabolte requested and Jace complied, "See this one?" He pointed to the one in the prosthetic's elbow, "It grew with your semblance, as it should. Now, deactivate your semblance," Jace complied again, "See how everything else shrunk but the actuator didn't? That is where the problem lies. These actuators are not meant to shrink on their own. If you do not manually do it, then they will rub against the insides of the prosthetic and lag its movements like you said happened to you."

"If that happens when I'm fighting Grimm…"

"Then it can be fatal." Seabolte finished and went to fix the actuators for him.

"What can be done to fix it?"

"For the moment, nothing. This is the first time a prosthetic is used for a semblance like yours. We've had no way of knowing before. I _do_ suggest you oil it every so often. That may help with it."

"It's not to much of a problem when I'm not fighting. And I shouldn't be having to fight Grimm again for awhile, so I should be good until then."

"You never know. The breach in Vale proved that," Seabolte said with a sigh as he finished the repair, "Here is some oil for the prosthetic. If it runs out, regular oil that you use for your weapons will be fine. But if you can, find some specifically for prosthetics."

Jace took the bottle of oil and nodded. "So, maybe oil it once a week?" He asked.

"Yes, that should work. I'll get to work on modifying some of our actuators to replace yours. That is an urgent matter and cannot wait."

"Yeah, I can wait on feeling for that," Jace said sadly, "Thanks for seeing me, doctor."

"It's not a problem. And please, just call me Seabolte."

Jace nodded and smiled, "I'll go ahead and leave now. We need to get back to my house and do something. See you later, Seabolte." He said and left the doctor to his work.

* * *

The team made their way slowly through the path to the clearing in Auron's truck. Jace and Alyss sat on the sides of the truck bed, keeping their feet between the two headstones in the back. Jace had known since he had them made where he wanted them to go, and he felt it would be what his brother and father would want also.

They arrived after thirty minutes and with very little resistance from Grimm, which were easily taken out by the new team of students. When they stepped from the truck, both Auron and Raine were left speechless, just as Alyss was when Jace brought her there.

"So this is the place that's so peaceful?" Raine asked after a moment. "Wow…"

"What she said…" Auron said and looked around the area.

"Yeah. This is probably my favorite spot to be," Jace said and felt his hand being squeezed, "Well, anywhere with you is my favorite now." He said and smiled at Alyss, then gave her a kiss.

"Sappy." She giggled at him.

"I know." Jace replied.

"Where do you want the headstones?" Auron asked as he stared around the clearing.

"Next to the water, straight from the path." Jace replied and the two boys moved the stones to the spots.

"Alright, I'm gonna start usin' my aura for this shit more." Auron remarked and stepped away from the stones.

"Makes it easier… doesn't it…" Jace said quietly and stared at the headstones.

Auron went to reply, but saw how Jace was looking at stones. He closed his mouth and went to stand near his truck with the others, giving Jace some space.

Jace stood silently for a few moments before he went on one knee in front of the headstones, then he took a deep breath.

"Well guys… I made it into Beacon," He started and smiled, reading the words on his father's headstone, "Thanks, dad… for saying that to us. It's helped me so much these past few weeks. I know that you already know… but, I'm using your last name now. I want to keep that going through my own family… For you."

Jace felt his voice about to break when he turned to Genesis' stone. "Gen… I really wish you could've been here. It's been hard having to fight on my own… No, that's not true. I haven't been fighting all of this alone. Team RWBY helped me a lot and so has my team. I think that you would both like them. And… I'm a leader now…" He said in disbelief as he took a deep, shaky breath, "There's Raine Daturas, she's Emowyn's sister, so she's a Faunus too… Emowyn's the Ranger you helped a few years ago, dad. I'm sure you remember. She's a good person and she helped me out a lot already. Then there's Auron Karmine, he's been through a lot too, around the same time as us. He's a gunslinger… like in those movies we have. He's a good person too…" Jace smiled and tears filled his eyes now.

He turned around to his team and waved them over. "Here they are. And here's Alyss Wystar… my girlfriend," Jace took hold of her hand and she kneeled beside him, followed by the others, "She's a Faunus too… She's just so strong to be able to look at all of that hate and just ignore it. She's helped me so much. Just… so much since I met her. She healed the burns on my arm and she makes me so happy… happier than I've ever been. When I got my prosthetic, she was there to keep me calm and she's one of the friendliest people ever… and I think you'd really like her,"

Jace closed his eyes and continued, letting his tears fall freely as he did. "I've met so much people this last month… there's Alyss, Auron and Raine. And I met three more teams of people… all of them are so friendly… Teams JNPR, CFVY, SSSN… they've all welcomed me with open arms and… I'm just grateful for it. I actually got to talk to Tyr and Ashe too. I'll be cheering them on in the tournament. It's… I'm just really glad,"

"Gen, I know you don't mind… I gave _Atronach_ to Alyss. I trust her with it. I think you would too. Oum… I wish you both were here." Jace finished and held his head down in silence.

"Haile…" Raine started with tears in her eyes, "I want to thank you for watching my sister's back on that mission. I'll watch Jace's back like you did for her. You have my word." She said and patted Jace on the back, then stood and walked toward the truck.

"Honestly, I don't know what to say…" Auron started with a sigh, "I've been through a lot these past months too. I lost my dad… nearly lost mom…" He said and fought back tears from his time before Beacon, "My uncle lost his leg… Haile, I got your boy's back. I'll make damn sure he stays safe. If you see Jeff Karmine, tell 'im I said hi an' I'll go see 'im as soon as I can." Auron finished and walked toward his truck along with Raine.

Alyss kneeled in silence with Jace for another few moments, trying to find something to say to Jace's family. "Genesis… H-Haile…" She started and her voice already cracked, "I don't really have much to say… Jace made me so happy too… It's like meeting him was the best thing to happen to me. We only met a few weeks ago and we're already a couple… and I'm really glad." She sniffled and took a deep breath before she spoke again, "I really wish I could've met you both… I promise I'll be the best girlfriend I can be to him. And maybe… maybe something to both of you too." She finished and leaned her head on Jace's shoulder.

They stayed for another few moments before they stood. Alyss started to walk toward the others but Jace stayed for a moment longer. He took _Standoff_ from his back and held it to his head.

"Thank you both for everything." He said and put the sword on his back, then walked hand-in-hand with Alyss to the others.

Jace looked at his team and gave a small smile. "You guys didn't have to say anything, but… thanks."

"Y'know, I felt like I should've, so I did," Auron said and patted Jace's shoulder, "You brought us here to help an' I wanted to tell 'em somethin'."

"Yeah… same here. I wanted to thank your dad since I found out he helped Emowyn. I meant what I said. I'll watch your back." Raine said with a light grin.

Alyss kissed Jace lightly on the cheek. "You wanted us to go over there to introduce us. I wanted to say how I felt and I'm glad you gave me the chance." She said and wiped a tear from her cheek.

Jace looked at them all and smiled more. "Thanks for being here, guys."

* * *

Alyss squeezed as close as she could to Jace as they sat on the couch, watching a movie to pass the time. It was the pirate-action movie called _Captain Morgan's Revenge_. Everything in it had been made as close to the legends as possible. From the weapons, attire, ships, and fighting styles that were told of them. The credits rolled and a song that shared the title of the movie played. The band was a pirate themed metal band.

"That had more violence than I guessed it would." Raine remarked and listened to the song that played.

"The legends _do_ say that they're violent people. Pretty accurate I think." Jace replied and rubbed Alyss' shoulder lightly, tracing circles with his thumb.

"True." Raine replied and grinned.

"Alright. I think we should get some food now," Jace said and gained his team's attention, "We can either go to a restaurant in the city or Auron could fix us something."

"I say restaurant. I feel like stretchin' my limbs." Auron said and Jace stared at him with a grin.

"You just want to get out of cooking don't you?"

Auron laughed. "That ain't it. I wanna see a bit more of the city too."

"I think we should go back to that one we went to before." Alyss said and sat up.

"The one run by Faunus? Yeah. That'd be nice." Jace replied to her.

"What do you say Raine?" Alyss asked.

"Sure. I don't mind one way or the other." Raine answered.

"Alright," Jace said as he stood up and stretched, "Let's head out before it gets too late."

* * *

"Here are your ord-" The server started and recognized Jace and Alyss, then noticed them holding hands, "Oh, welcome back you two. I'm glad you're both happy together." She said and bowed her head slightly.

"Thank you." The two said with a smile.

She left after placing everyone's plates in front of them. Jace had a cherry shake with chicken and steak cut up and drenched in a type of hot sauce. Auron had a water and only a few pieces of chicken with a bit of ghost pepper powder sprinkled over one piece, all made extra crispy by his request. Alyss had a chicken and fish salad with a cherry shake as well. Raine had five pieces of chicken and a vanilla flavored soda.

"It's weird how we all have some type of chicken." Jace remarked and took a drink from his shake.

"Hey, it's good," Raine said and took a rather large bite of a piece of her chicken, "It's just me, but I'd like it better of it was raw."

"Same with me and the fish really," Alyss said and stabbed her fork through some of the lettuce and fish on her plate, "Still good either way."

"Auron, how can you eat something _that_ spicy without being bothered?" Jace asked as Auron took a bite of his chicken.

Auron shrugged. "Don't know, really. I've loved it since I was in Sanctum."

"How did you even find out you like it?" Raine asked.

"Pyrrha dared me to try it when they had it in the cafeteria one day," Auron laughed at the memory, "The look on her face when I looked her in the eyes an' took a spoonful of it was damn priceless. Thing is, another person tried it after I did an' they got sent to the nurse. Pyrrha felt horrible because she didn't know it'd be that spicy when she dared me. I kept thankin' her for gettin' me to find a new thing I like."

"Pyrrha dared you?" Alyss asked and Auron nodded, "And you just did it?"

"Yep. Back then, I'd do mostly anything I was dared to do. Good times. Got me my first relationship, too. Too bad that didn't last…" Auron said wistfully and shook his head, "Oh well. New school, new Kingdom, new opportunities. Just gotta wait an' see."

They quickly ate their food and their plates were taken up while they sipped around on their drinks. "This is gonna be the place I always come to for food in Atlas." Jace said with a grin.

"You'd better bring me with you." Alyss said to him with a grin and a wink.

"Don't you worry about that." Jace replied to her with a smile.

"Y'know," Raine started after she took a drink from her soda, "I'm surprised that a place in Atlas is completely run by Faunus." She remarked.

"I was too, but I'm glad," Jace replied with a smile, "When me and Alyss were first here, I didn't want to take her to someplace that wouldn't be friendly to her just because they can't stand she has cute ears." He leaned over and kissed Alyss on the side of her forehead.

She smiled and kissed his cheek. "You're such a good person Jace." She said and leaned against him.

"She's right. You're very considerate of others." Raine said with a smile.

"What they said." Auron said and took a drink from his water.

Jace smiled and shook his head at them all. "I'm just me, I guess."

* * *

"Seabolte said that with the feelings, my prosthetic can radiate my own body heat so it wouldn't be cold metal." Jace said as he and Alyss laid on the bed that night.

Alyss pulled herself closer to him and wrapped her right arm over his chest. "So you shouldn't have to worry about breaking glasses with it anymore?" She asked with a smirk.

"Oh, that's just a bonus," Jace replied and leaned his head against hers, "I'll be able to feel _everything_. Handshakes, fur, my own hair, the bed. I won't have to worry about putting too much force behind something like a hug," He smiled and kissed her on the head, "And I'll actually be able to hug you with both my arms."

"Do you think you'd ever consider getting synthetic skin?"

"I've actually been thinking that over. Since I'll be getting the feeling back… I think I might. I'll have to talk to Seabolte about it."

There was a comfortable silence as the two laid on the bed so close together. Jace felt himself drifting closer to sleep in Alyss' warm embrace.

"I meant what I said this morning." Alyss said after a few moments.

"What do you mean?" Jace asked and kept himself awake for just a bit longer for her.

"I want to be something to both Genesis and Haile someday. Prove that I deserve you. Be the best girlfriend I can be."

Jace pulled his head back, then leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. He reached his right hand up from where it was around her shoulders and ran his fingers through her hair as he smiled. "If anything… I need to prove I deserve you." He said and got a chuckle from his companion.

"Honestly, I don't think you need to. You're just so caring already… I don't think you need to keep trying to be better and better when I think you're the best now." Alyss said and leaned closer to him.

"You really think that?" Jace asked her.

"Yeah. I do." She said and sighed happily.

"I love you, Alyss."

"I love you too."

* * *

"Jace? I didn't expect a call from you," Doctor Seabolte said in surprise, "Is something wrong with your arm?"

"No. Nothing like that," Jace answered quickly to dispel the Doctor's worries, "I'd actually like to talk with you about synthetic skin for it."

"Synthetic skin? I thought you said there would be no sense to hide it?" Seabolte asked in good nature.

"I know I did. But now that I'm gonna get to feel things with it again…"

"Since you will feel with it again, you'd rather that people could not feel metal holding them?"

"That's it, pretty much. Especially now that I'm dating Alyss."

"Ah, so you two are together? With how she never left your side when your prosthetic was attached, it doesn't surprise me. When would you like it to be done?"

Jace gave it some thought as he smiled at what Seabolte said. "I would say today since we're in Atlas for a bit. But I'll wait until you get the enhancement finished."

"That can be arranged then. Would that be all?"

"Yeah. That's it. I guess I'll let you go now."

"Alright then. Have a good day." The two ended the call and Jace made his way outside to where the others were.

"How in the flyin' fuck do you do this right!?" He heard Auron ask Raine.

He chuckled and went over to Alyss, who handed him _Soul Leaf_. They had set up targets behind the house and each took turns firing each others' weapons. They saved the empty casings at Auron's request for remaking the ammunition and teaching them how he does it. Auron had been trying to use Raine's longbow for the past half hour, since before Jace went inside to call Seabolte, and was failing miserably at it.

"You just need a lot of practice. And I mean _a lot._ Here let me see it." Raine said and Auron handed her bow back to her.

She put an arrow on the string and held another in her right hand as she held the bow. She drew, released, grabbed and nocked the other arrow, drew, and released again in under a second. Both arrows slamming into the target furthest away from them.

"You don't practice until your get it right. You practice until you never get it wrong," Raine said with a grin, "Old family saying."

"That ain't happenin'…" Auron said and shook his head at her marksmanship, "Think I can try _Shagahod_?"

"Sure, go ahead." She said and handed him her rifle.

Jace meanwhile started firing off short bursts from _Soul Leaf_ , while Alyss fired _Atronach_. "You were right. _Soul Leaf_ does have some pretty light recoil." Jace remarked and ejected the empty magazine. "And I love that the magazine can be the grip for it too."

"Like I said, perfect for me." She replied before she shot at two more targets with _Atronach_.

"You're already pretty good with that. I think I made the right choice with giving it to you." Jace said and kissed her cheek.

"Thank you again, Jace."

"Now this is somethin' I can get behind!" Auron called out after firing _Shagahod_ a few times with the ports closed.

"I'm glad you like it." Raine said and fired _Last Call_ for a bit.

She hit all of the targets with all of the shots. She ejected the last empty casing from the rifle and looked it over. "Your rifle is pretty good too." She remarked and they handed each other their weapons.

"Oh, I have an idea. Be right back." Jace said to them all and went into the house.

"What's he up to?" Auron asked Alyss as he handed her _Last Call_ to try out.

"I have no idea." She said and handed Auron _Soul Leaf_ , then fired at the targets with _Last Call._

A few moments later, Jace came back outside with two weapons. His father's old double barrel, pump action shotgun, _Carnage_. And what would've been Genesis' rifle, _Twin Fang_.

"Who wants to try what?" Jace asked with a grin.

"I'll try _Twin Fang_. You can try _Shagahod_." Raine said and they traded weapons.

"After I'm done with _Soul Leaf_ , I'll try _Carnage_ out." Auron said and fired at the targets with Alyss' weapon.

Jace shot half the rounds from _Shagahod_ and traded with Alyss. "Here you go. It has a lot of kick to it." Alyss said and handed him _Last Call_.

"An' that's how I like it!" Auron called over to them.

Jace reloaded Auron's weapon and fired it down the makeshift range. It had been a fun day so far. Jace thought that possibly when they're back at Beacon, they should spar using each others' weapons to simulate what it would be like if it was necessary for them to do so.

"Hey Jace, I'm tryin' _Carnage_ now." Auron said and set _Soul Leaf_ down on the table, then picked the shotgun up.

"Go ahead. From what I remember, it's got a hell of a kick." Jace said with a grin.

"I look forward to it." Auron replied and loaded the shotgun full of shells.

He aimed, pumped, and fired one barrel, then the other, not expecting the amount of recoil Jace warned of. He rubbed his shoulder a bit and grinned. He worked the pump again, then fired both barrels at the same time.

"I love this thing already!" Auron exclaimed with a grin, then handed Jace the shotgun.

"Thought you would. If I knew we would've been doing this, I would've brought _Siege Breaker_." Jace said and shook his head.

"Who else wants to try _Carnage_?"

"I can." Raine offered.

Everyone else looked at her amusedly as she took hold of the shotgun that was comically large for her hands. She noticed their stares and sighed. "What? Just because I'm small, I won't be able to handle the recoil?" She asked. When she saw raised eyebrows, she shook her head. "Oh please, I can take the kick of a fully charged shot from _Shagahod_. This is nothing."

"Don't be so sure." Jace grinned at her.

Something in Alyss' mind made her look around at her team. They were all distracted by watching Raine and Jace had his back turned to her. She grinned wickedly and took a few steps back. She dropped on all fours and bent her knees as her backside waved back and forth in the air. Her head hovered over the cold snow as she eyed her target.

The only warning Jace had was when Auron glanced over their way and saw Alyss. "The hell?" He said and Jace noticed where his gaze was going. He turned around and Alyss jumped on him, grabbing onto his shoulders as they both fell to the snow. The commotion beside Raine caused her to pull both triggers of the shotgun before she was prepared, firing off both shells and causing her to fall out of balance and fall to the ground herself.

"Alyss, what was that for?" Jace asked the girl currently straddling his stomach. No anger was in his voice, only complete confusion.

"Pounce." Alyss said playfully as she smiled brightly. One of her ears was flattened out and pointed off to her side as the other was pointed straight up. To Jace, the sight was extremely cute.

"Okay… But why?" Jace's voice still etched with confusion, but now there were traces of merriment in the words.

"It's been so long since I've done that. It's a game me and mom always played before the accident. It's what some cat Faunus do. I was born with a bit more of a playful nature than others."

"So, why did you decide to do it now? In the snow?"

"'Cause I'm comfortable around you guys." Alyss answered sweetly and leaned down to kiss Jace on the lips.

"Alyss, I gotta admit," Auron said from where he was wiping _Carnage_ clean of snow, "That's pretty damn adorable."

"I'm all for you being yourself like that," Raine said in slight annoyance as she still laid in the snow, but couldn't keep the mirth from her voice, "But maybe not do that when I'm shooting a shotgun with a huge amount of kick." She said and everyone started laughing. It lasted for a few moments as Raine picked herself up off the ground.

"I think I'm gonna start calling you kitten, then," Jace said and reached to hold her hand, "Y'know, if its alright with you."

Alyss giggled as she leaned down to kiss him again, a bit more slowly this time. She pulled back and their faces were mere inches from each other. "Is that a good answer?"

Jace tilted his head a bit and smiled. "Yes it is."

* * *

"Damn, _Ravensword's_ already refueled?" Auron asked as they prepared to leave the house.

"Yeah, time really flies by when you're having a good time." Jace said and smiled.

"Definitely." Auron agreed.

"It would be nice if we had more time, though." Alyss remarked at Jace's side.

"Well, it'll still be fun," Raine said with a grin, "We'll just be at Beacon for it."

"Yeah, that's true," Jace agreed, "Let's get going. Don't wanna miss our flight."

"We gotta get ready to cheer all our friends on too." Alyss said with a smile.

"I wonder who's gonna win…" Jace said as he strapped his helmet on.

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: So, Jace finally delivered the headstones and we had that feelsy moment. Now he has one less thing weighing on him.**

 **I like the idea of a team switching weapons to practice with in case they ever need them. I mean, could you imagine Yang trying to use _Myrtenaster_ and Weiss trying _Ember Celica_? Or Blake with _Crescent Rose_ and Ruby with _Gambol Shroud_? It'd be interesting to see.**

 **Also, I'm posting double this weekend. One for Saturday and Sunday. It makes the next few chapters line up perfectly with the days I post.**

 **The next chapter is back in Vale, and round one. See you then, and have a nice day!**


	39. Chapter 38: Round One

**Round One**

"Here are your winners, representing Beacon! Team RWBY!"

The cheering in the arena was thunderous and it shook the walls and seats the spectators sat in. The cheering seemed loudest where two teams sat in the front row, JNPR and JKDW.

"Damn, that was a good match!" Auron had to yell over the sounds of cheering.

"It was! Our match is later today!" Pyrrha replied and clapped loudly. "Will you four be there as well?"

"Definitely!" Jace answered with a grin. "I'm here to watch someone else's match too! Think you'll win yours?"

"Oh yeah! We'll win alright!" Nora exclaimed with confidence.

"Who are you watching?" Pyrrha asked.

"A couple of people from Atlas! Tyr Alexander and Ashe Crane! They're part of Team APCT going against Ginger from Vacuo!" Jace answered her as everyone file out of the arena for the hour-long break between matches.

* * *

"The next match will be Team APCT of Atlas vs Team GNJR of Vacuo!"

Jace looked on as Tyr and Ashe walked forward and stood in the middle of the arena with their team. From his memory, they were Terra Lockhart and Paige Corbin. Terra had opal colored eyes and long, dark-brown hair wrapped in a ponytail that split into two more ponytails towards the middle of her back. She wore a tight black skirt reaching just before the middle of her thighs, black, knee-high combat boots, and a black combat vest with two straps and buckles on the left side. The vest was decorated with a red heart with two chains wrapped around it in the middle with a black keyhole in the middle of the heart. She used two gauntlet-type weapons that looked skeletal in design with a solid plate on the front of each of them with two large studs on the plates. She had called them _Bullhammer._

Paige had snow-white eyes and medium length black hair that was slicked back behind his head with a thick braid of hair on either side of his face. His outfit consisted of black combat boots with white strings, cargo pants that was black on one leg and white on the other, and a thin, black, sleeveless overcoat over scale-mail armor on his torso. The coat had a large white feather decorating the back. He was a dual-wielder who used both an axe and a mace. He held the mace in his left hand as he twisted his wrist around. It had a foot-and-a-half long metal shaft that led to a a few inches that were flared out and wider than the handle. It was adorned with multiple pointed studs. In the pommel was a white stone. In his right hand was his axe, which rested on his shoulder. Its shaft was two feet long, the blade was thin and went out from the shaft, then curved downward before it met back with the metal. In its pommel was a black stone. It was light enough for him to use it one-handed with ease, along with his mace. He had called them _Demolition_.

The environments that were chosen were a mountainous area with a river running down the side in a waterfall and a ruined city section with broken down buildings and multiple street lamps. Both teams looked around quickly at their surroundings before the match started.

"So… we might be fighting an apprentice Ranger next year," Jace remarked as the two teams stood ready, "At least we have our own." He grinned toward Raine.

Raine grinned back at him. "Yeah, _but_ -"

"Oh Oum, what?"

"She has a year of experience ahead of me. So yeah."

"A Ranger's a Ranger," Auron stated from the side, "I think you'd do good."

"Thanks, Auron." Raine said and the match began.

Paige broke out first and came at one of their opponents with his axe in a side attack. The boy brought his two batons up and blocked it, but was sent skidding backwards several feet and Paige raced after him. Tyr faced the battle-axe wielder of the opposing team and their weapons clashed, The hilt of Tyr's claymore smashing against the haft of the axe. He pushed back and flipped the claymore in his hand to grab the hilt and sliced out at the boy's midsection. Ashe blasted at the girl that came at her with her large pistols, each shot hitting her large, collapsible shield. Ashe sighed and pressed a button on the side of the pistols' grips and the pistols turned into shortswords with the blade coming from below the barrels and the grips straightening out with the blades. She ran and jumped toward her opponent, then stomped against the top of the shield causing it to tilt backwards with the girl. She landed behind the shield wielder and struck out with both blades at her exposed backside.

Ashe glanced at the inside of the shield and saw multiple parts to the inside of a gun and quickly discovered what kind of weapon it was. "Terra!" She called to her teammate and pointed her left hand toward the ruined balcony of a building. The spearhead shot out and planted itself into the side of the building, then Ashe pulled herself clear of the transforming shield. The girl took aim with the shotgun but felt strong arms wrap around her waist. She jumped from surprise as Terra lifted and tilted herself backwards, sending the girl up and over her. Terra slammed the girl's back into the ground and came to her feet to close in on her. She punched at her with her steam-hydraulic gauntlets and struck out hard at the girl's midsection while she was still recovering.

Ashe reached the balcony and retracted her spear fully as she saw the last person moving to flank Tyr. She turned her weapons back into their pistol forms and combined them with one going into the back of the other and both of them extending to form a battle rifle. She inserted a larger magazine into the large port on the back pistol. She took aim at the bladed knuckle-duster user and fired five shots toward him, striking him in the legs and drawing his attention to her. He pulled out a vial of dust and released its contents into the air, then launched rock spikes toward her with his aura. She used her spear and pulled herself toward the roof of the next ruined building and opened fire on him again, then separated and transformed her weapon back to its dual sword form. She sent the spearhead back into the ground a little ways in front of the boy and pulled herself down, then used the momentum of the pull to keep her speed for running toward him.

Tyr switched the grip on his claymore and jabbed the hilt into the axe wielder's chest, stunning him enough for Tyr to slam the hilt into his side, sending him skidding to the ground. Tyr let the boy regain his footing before he continued the attack. He picked his axe back up and rushed toward Tyr again, bringing the axe blade down hard in an overhand attack. Tyr sidestepped the attack and the axe crashed into the ground and stuck there. He swung his sword and the hilt struck hard into the boy's head, sending him straight to the ground, out cold and out of aura.

"James Townsend has been eliminated!" Oobleck called through the arena and Tyr grabbed the axe and placed the grip in the defeated teen's hand.

He straightened back up and surveyed how his team was doing. Ashe was locked into a flurry of fast strikes dealt by both her and her opponent, each one's aura slowly decreasing. Terra kept the shield wielder on the defense as she wasn't able to transform her shotgun back into its shield form leaving her to block with her shotgun. Tyr had to admit that Terra had grown in hand-to-hand combat over the past year, following in her father's footsteps and adopting his style of fighting, using strikes and different type of grapples when the opportunity presented itself. Paige was in a stalemate with the other dual-wielder in the mountainous area, his axe and mace striking the combined batons and bouncing back from the boy. Tyr made his way over to help the black-haired boy out.

"I didn't expect to see a damn suplex in this!" Auron remarked in disbelief at the attacks Terra utilized.

"It's interesting isn't it?" Jace said with a grin, "I watched her spar with someone back in Atlas and she's got some crazy stuff."

They turned their attention back to the fight and over to Terra. The other girl was able to reform her shield and was blocking each strike now, but her aura was close to the red. Terra jumped and placed both hands on the top of the shield and flipped over it, then turned her body and tilted her torso to the side, raising her right leg and extending it. She kicked the girl in the back of the head and dazed her. Terra grinned and grabbed the girl's waist with her right arm and lifted up on her left leg with her left arm. She turned the girl as she was in the air and grabbed her leg and head, then pulled her down with all her strength. Terra landed on her back, bringing her knees up toward the girl's back. The shield wielder's back drove hard into them, bringing her aura past the limit.

"Taylor Nash has been eliminated!"

Terra grinned again and looked around, seeing both Tyr and Paige against an opponent near the pooled water at the bottom of the mountain, and seeing Ashe trading strikes with the other. She nodded to herself and broke off running toward Ashe. When she got close enough, Ashe stepped back and spun, raising her leg to kick the boy in the head and turn him around. Terra dove and drove her shoulder hard into the boy's gut. She grabbed the back of his legs and pulled, then she put her right hand on his chest and pushed down hard, slamming him to the ground and depleting his aura.

"Grayson York has been eliminated!" Oobleck called through the arena, "It is now a four on one situation! Things are looking rather dire for Mr. Ellison!"

"Wanna see what happens before we jump in?" Terra's asked the apprentice.

"It's only fair." Ashe replied and they watched the others.

Paige swung his mace at the staff wielder's legs and struck them as he was distracted with Tyr. He faltered a bit and recovered fast. He only just realized the impossible situation he was in going against four people. He yelled and jabbed the end of his staff toward Paige's face. The staff struck his left eye and caused him to drop his mace to bring his hand up to it. The surprise attack completely caught him off guard and his aura couldn't shield him from the attack, leaving him partially blinded. The boy grinned at the momentary advantage and moved in with his staff raised, but Tyr grabbed his face and slammed him straight to the water. The boy rose to his feet as he was drenched, but Tyr drove the hilt of his sword into his gut, sending him back down on his back.

"What kind of Huntsman are you to use dishonorable tactics against another!?" Tyr yelled at the boy and swung his sword down with all his might. The boy rolled out of the way and came to his feet, sending his staff hard into Tyr's gut.

"Hey!" He heard a yell from behind him and he turned around to see Terra glaring at him. She ran forward and used her semblance, making her leg movements blindingly fast as she charged at him, kicking up dirt and loose concrete behind her. He brought up his staff to block his gut but Terra jumped into the air and reared her fist back. Before the teen could bring his staff back up, Terra's fist slammed straight into his nose, breaking his aura and breaking his nose, and sent him slamming and rolling on the ground.

"Riley Ellison been eliminated! Here are your winners, representing Atlas! Team APCT!"

"Where the hell is he!?" Paige yelled in rage as he looked around the area as he gripped his mace with his bloodied hand.

Tyr grabbed his shoulder. "Paige, calm down. The fight is over."

Paige tried to move past Tyr to get to Riley, but Tyr gripped his shoulder harder. "Paige. No. We need to get you to the infirmary. Nothing good will come of it if you assault him after the match."

Terra grabbed him by the shoulders and smiled. "It's alright babe. I broke his nose for you," She said and kissed him on his right cheek, "C'mon. Let's go get you fixed up."

Paige growled and nodded slowly and the three met back with their teammate. She noticed blood coming from Paige's eye. They quickly took him from the arena and toward the infirmary as Tyr carried Paige's mace for him as he held his hand over his eye. Terra held his hand and guided him out.

"That was some cheap shit that Riley tried to pull." Auron said in annoyance as they exited the stadium.

"Yeah, maybe if he didn't do it while Tyr or Terra were right there then he wouldn't have got taken out," Jace replied, "Or maybe not. I think I remember that Paige gets _extremely_ pissed off from seeing his own blood."

"How pissed?" Auron asked.

Jace thought for a moment on that. "Remember what Ruby told us about how mad Yang gets if something fucks with her hair?" Auron nodded, "It would've been really bad."

They stepped out and went toward the infirmary to see team APCT. "That was a good match besides the end of it." Alyss said as they rounded a corner in the hallway.

"If we fight GNJR next year, I call fightin' Riley." Auron said and exhaled loudly through his nose as he grinned at the thought.

"You'll get no arguments from us." Raine said and they arrived at the infirmary where Tyr and Ashe waited outside.

"Hello Jace. Did you enjoy the match?" Tyr asked as his mood continued to soften.

"It was good up until the end." Jace replied and looked at the door, "How's Paige?"

"His eye was bleeding. We don't know how serious it is." Ashe answered in frustration.

"I'm guessing he won't be able to fight if he was your pick for the doubles." Alyss said and they nodded.

"He was going to, so now we're gonna have to decide on who goes with me." Ashe said with a sigh.

"I hope he get's better." Jace said after a moment.

At that moment, the door opened and Paige walked out with bandages covering his left eye. "I'm so freaking annoyed right now you have no idea." He said to everyone there.

"That's understandable," Raine said as his right hand opened and closed over and over, "At least you didn't get eliminated though."

"Oh yeah, there's that of course. But I really, _really_ want to drive my foot up Riley's ass." Paige replied.

"I'm on the same boat." Auron grinned at him.

Paige grinned back. "Don't be mad if I push you off just to get to him first."

Auron laughed loudly. "You get first shot."

"How bad did they say it is?" Alyss asked.

"Not enough to blind me permanently, but I won't be fighting for awhile."

"At least it'll get better." Terra said and squeezed his hand.

"I could heal it for you if you want." Alyss offered.

Paige thought about it for a few moments before he shook his head. "No, I'm good. I think I can deal with it on my own. Plus if I went to doubles like I was supposed to, I wouldn't be able to keep my head straight from being angry."

"Okay. If you're sure."

"As long as you're still good for later." Terra said in a sultry voice and winked at Paige.

"Good Oum," Tyr sighed in good nature, "You both can have the room _after_ we talk about who goes with Ashe."

"Got it, Boss." Paige grinned.

"Well, we're gonna go now," Jace said and nodded to them all, "You all fought really good."

"Thank you, Jace." Tyr replied to him.

"I'll walk with you guys," Ashe said as she stepped from the infirmary, "I want to talk to Raine for a bit."

"Alright. But we _do_ need to discuss who goes with you to the next round." Tyr said to her.

"I'll be back later. We can talk about it then." Ashe replied.

* * *

"How's your hand, Jace?" Auron asked him after they arrived at their dorm, nodding toward his right hand.

"Better. I guess I put too much aura into the burn-crystal." Jace replied and looked at his palm. The day before the tournament started, Auron started to teach the others how to control their aura better for making ammunition.

"You'll get the hang of it. Anyone wanna try again before JNPR's match?" Auron asked the group.

Jace shrugged. "Sure. Better to keep at it, I guess. There's two matches until theirs anyway, so we have time."

"Just don't blow yourself up again." Alyss said jokingly and kissed him.

"I can only promise to try."

They went and retrieved their dust crystals and bullet casings from their desks, then set everything at the table. Jace had also brought some of the crystals from his house before they returned to Vale.

"Alright. So…" Raine started and took hold of a burn-crystal and turned it in her hand, "We have to keep a steady balance of aura going into our palms and let our aura grind it rather than actually _squeeze_ it with our hands?" She asked to make sure.

"That's pretty much it. Squeezin' your hand makes your aura get around it better, remember that." Auron confirmed and went to work on his own ammo.

"Okay. Don't blow myself up… again. Got it." Jace said and grabbed a burn-crystal.

He broke off half of the crystal and carefully focused his aura into his palm. He let it go slowly and he kept the flow of aura as steady as he could, letting his mind be solely focused on the task at hand. After a minute of doing that, he felt dust instead of crystal and opened his hand to check. It was pure, powdered dust now, and he sighed in relief that he got it right. He waited until after everyone had powdered burn dust in their hands before he spoke. "So, now what?"

"Now, dump it into a casin', don't matter which one, an' make a tip to fit it," Auron said and held a green crystal, "This is a bit different. For y'all startin' out, you need to grind it to dust, then shape it into what you want from there." He finished and squeezed the crystal in his hand and broke it down into dust, then dumped it on a piece of paper. He took it and dumped a small amount into his hand, then focused his aura again.

"I've been doin' this since I was thirteen so I got a lot of practice. I can put a crystal in my hand an' make a few tips all at once," Auron continued and ground another burn-crystal in his hand, "I try to pack as much burn dust as I can into 'em. More power."

Everyone spent a few minutes working with their their crystals, grinding them down and re-shaping the dust into bullets for their chosen casing. Jace worked with ammo for _Ebon_ , Alyss tried making some for _Soul Leaf_ , and Raine had one of her large casings filled full with burn dust already and worked hard on making a large enough tip for it.

"Is this good, Auron?" Alyss asked and held out a small, blue, rough-looking bullet tip.

"Hmm," Auron took it and looked at it closely, "See if you can smooth out the edges of it more. For that, just focus some aura into your fingertip an' you can grind around on it like that. Or you can get a small knife," He handed the bullet back to her and grinned.

"Y'all are gettin' the hang of it." He said and waited for them to finish.

Alyss sent her aura through and worked her index finger along her bullet, slowly and carefully grinding it down to be as smooth as she could get it. She felt the chill come off of it as her aura worked through her fingertip and make contact with the crystal.

"Gah! Fuck!" Jace yelled out and jumped from his chair, dropping his bolt dust crystal along the way, "Why do I have bad luck with this!?"

"What happened?" Auron asked with a grin.

Jace shook his right hand around. "Damn thing shocked the hell outta me!" He answered and sat back down.

Auron laughed loudly and and held his gut. "At least you didn't blow yourself up!" He said and laughed even more.

Raine grinned and went back to smoothing out her bullet. "You do have more aura in you from your dad," She said lightly, "It's probably different for you than for us."

"Yeah, maybe." Jace said.

Alyss kissed his cheek. "Be more careful." She said with a grin.

"Hmm…" Jace hummed and went back to shaping his bullet.

Alyss took his hand and brought it up to kiss the outside of it. Jace smiled at the feeling and jumped when Alyss nipped his hand with her teeth, then she ran her tongue across the spot.

"Is there a reason why you just bit and licked me?" Jace asked her.

"Maybe it'll get you to focus a bit more better," Alyss smiled at him, "If you want, I can keep doing it."

"Do we need to leave or something?" Raine asked in humor.

"Kids, it's class time now. Knock it off." Auron said with a laugh.

Jace shook his head and looked back to Alyss. He leaned in and whispered quietly in her ear. "Maybe later, Kitten." He said and kissed her cheek, then gave her a wink.

* * *

"I really wanted to see what Tyr's semblance was." Jace said as they departed the airbus to the stadium.

"Out of curiosity?" Alyss asked him.

"I kinda want to see what made him lose his hand." Jace answered and sighed from the lack of knowledge.

"I'm sure you'll see it sometime. Maybe if they pick him to go in Paige's place." Raine said to him.

"He might be savin' it for a trump card," Auron said, "Did anyone even see it in Atlas?"

"Not that I remember…" Jace answered and pursed his lips in thought, "Must be something that'll really surprise someone."

They entered the hallway as Oobleck's voice cut across the intercom system. "Would team JNPR please make their way to the stadium. Like they were supposed to do fifteen minutes ago!" He called through the speakers scattered around Beacon and the Vytal Festival fairgrounds.

"Good thing we aren't late then." Alyss said as they stopped in the hall for a moment.

Jace held her hand and grinned. "Let's go get us some front row seats."

They made their way deeper into the stadium and Jace caught sight of a board with team brackets, where he saw Yang and Weiss would face two members of team FNKI from Atlas.

"Oh hey, Flynt and Neon made it." Jace said with a smile.

"Who're they?" Alyss asked.

"Some of the nicer people from Atlas along with APCT. I really met them after I visited classes before initiation. Never got the chance to talk with them any back at Atlas," Jace said and shook his head, "I'm kinda torn on who to cheer for."

"Maybe we should focus on the match that's happening in a few minutes," Raine said and looked at the brackets, "Team BRNZ… I think one of them uses a sniper rifle from what I've heard. That'll be interesting to see."

"Hey, _Armaddon Slayers_!"

The group heard a deep, female voice call from behind them that broke them from the board. They looked behind them and saw who it was, Jace gave a grin and Raine had a wide smile.

"Vivi! Hey!" Raine called back and walked over to her.

"How are you, Raine?" Vivi asked as they hugged.

"Really good. I passed initiation, although I'm sure you already know that." Raine answered and walked her over to her team.

"Hey Vivi." Jace greeted the Ranger.

"Hello Jace. This one is happy to see you again," Vivi greeted back and looked through the others, especially the girl he was holding hands with, "I guess these two are your teammates?"

"Yeah. Big guy there is Auron." Jace nodded toward the large boy and he nodded to Vivi.

"Another Ranger… When's y'all's next Gatherin'?" Auron asked.

"We might have a special one after the tournament for a retirement. Why do you want to know?"

"'Cause I wanna be there for Preacher if it ain't any trouble."

"Oh, you're Auron Karmine. This one thinks, with the circumstances, it would be allowed. For both you and your mom," Vivi said and gave a small grin, "You would have to be blindfolded while you're taken there. No outsiders are allowed to know the location."

"Trust me, I know," Auron returned the grin, "Preacher's told me that so many times. I'd appreciate it."

Vivi nodded and turned toward Alyss. "And who might you be?" She asked with a smile.

"I'm Alyssia Wystar, you can call me Alyss." She said and bowed her head to her.

"A fellow cat Faunus," Vivi said and slid her hood off her head, "Good to meet you."

"You too."

"She's also my girlfriend and I'm really happy about that." Jace said with a smile.

"I noticed," Vivi said and nodded to their hands, "This one wishes you both happiness. I guess you're here to watch the match?"

"Yeah. My old friend's in it an' I'm gonna cheer her on." Auron said to him.

"I'm watching too. Care for some company?"

"Sure, just don't complain if I bust your ears hollerin' for Pyrrha." Auron said with a grin.

"You four did well in killing that Armaddon during your initiation." Vivi said after they started walking.

"I'm not gonna question how you know that," Jace started and looked to the Ranger, "I know I didn't do much. We can really thank Raine for it."

Vivi patted him on the shoulder. "You gave her the orders to bring it down, though. You had the most experience dealing with one and you used that to base your orders on," She looked to Raine and smiled, "And your team carried them out flawlessly."

"Thanks, Vivi," Jace said and thought of a question, "Would you have anymore strategies for them?"

"Hmm… I've actually been thinking on it for a few teams," Vivi replied and grinned, "You four have your strategy. I've thought on one for team RWBY."

"Really? Think you could tell us?" Alyss asked him.

"Yeah, I think I could," Vivi started and her ears twitched on her head, along with the ears of Alyss and Raine, and Jace tilting his head slightly, "Maybe I can tell them, too…" She said and turned around, shocking three of members of team RWBY.

"Oh… um… hi guys!" Ruby said after her shock.

"Sup." Yang greeted, regaining her composure quickly.

Weiss held her composure and nodded to them.

"Hey." Blake greeted normally.

"You know, I don't think you're gonna be able to sneak up on me and three Faunus," Jace said with a smirk, "You like that book, Blake?"

"Yeah, it's really interesting. We're about halfway through it." Blake answered him.

"We?" Jace questioned.

"Yeah," Ruby piped up at her side, "I asked to read it too and I thought we could just read it together like with the other one. I like it."

"Good. Just don't spoil it for me," Jace smiled at them, "I guess we should introduce you all to our friend.

Vivi chuckled and shook her head. "I was waiting for you to finish. I didn't want to be rude," She said and turned to RWBY, "Allow this one to introduce herself. I'm Vivian Strife, Ranger to Vale. Call me Vivi. I'm one of the two who look over the council."

Each of team RWBY introduced themselves and Weiss tilted her head slightly. "What strategy did you have in mind?"

"Oh yeah. Alright, Ruby has the heaviest weapon, she would be the one to finish it," Vivi heard the delighted squeal from Ruby, "Blake would use her clones to stun it enough for Weiss to hold it in a glyph. Yang, if possible, you could hold its head back so it wouldn't be able to burn the ice from itself. After it's subdued, Ruby would get a running start with her semblance, along with using the recoil of _Crescent Rose_ , and the force from that should be enough to kill it," Vivi chuckled a bit, "Alternatively, Weiss could hold it down with a glyph and Yang could maybe keep punching it in the head."

"I like that one better." Yang said with a wide grin.

"Of course you would." Weiss rolled her eyes and kissed Yang on the cheek.

"You've thought of all that for our team?" Blake asked, seeming shocked.

"I have. As a Ranger, I look for anything to help in any battle for anyone," Vivi nodded and grinned "I've already discussed it with Professors Port and Goodwitch. Ozpin too. I actually have one for team CFVY, and I'm working on one for JNPR."

Auron gave them a grin. "This is what Rangers do. They plan for the longest time an' they can perform that plan perfectly. An' they pass the plan along to the ones that need it," He chuckled a bit, "It's what you learn from fightin' alongside three of 'em."

"What do you have planned for JNPR so far?" Ruby asked.

"Well…" Vivi started and sighed, "I haven't reached very far. Going by what I watched in your initiation, I might have the solution, but I'm not so sure."

"Wait wait wait…" Yang looked in confusion at her. "You _saw_ that? Like, all of it?"

"It's a Ranger's job to know things." Jace answered for her.

"Exactly." Raine said with a grin.

"I saw your teamwork with the Nevermore and Deathstalker. It was very impressive," Vivi said, then turned back to the strategy, "Now, the only thing this one can think of is Ren and Jaune distract it while Pyrrha launches Nora into the sky with her shield, then Nora uses a blast from _Magnhild_ to propel herself downward and crush the Armaddon's skull."

"That actually sounds like a good plan for them. Nora would love it." Yang said with a grin.

"Begin!"

The crowd in the arena cheered for the match that finally started and the two teams and Vivi made their way to the seats.

"Come on! Or we'll miss the good parts!" Auron called and they ran.

* * *

"You guys fought like hell. Congrats on the win." Auron said as they met up with team JNPR outside their dorm.

"Thank you Auron. I believe Jaune may take a good deal of the credit." Pyrrha said and the blonde boy rubbed the back of his neck.

"Come on Pyrrha, I didn't do much." Jaune replied to her.

"You did, though!" Pyrrha assured him, "You gave everyone the right orders in order for us to pick up the victory. You did well."

"I mean, I just told Nora to hit them with her hammer…"

"And it totally worked!" Nora said excitedly.

"All of you fought really good. I can't wait to see the next rounds." Alyss said to them.

"Same here." Auron replied and the teams separated, letting JNPR get some much needed rest.

"I'm really excited for next year's tournament already." Jace said as they entered their room, where their casings and dust from practicing with dust forging was still present from earlier in the day.

"Because we can maybe qualify?" Alyss asked.

"Yeah, and the only other team with a Ranger is APCT and we might not even fight them." Jace answered with a grin.

"I somehow doubt they'd let me to use my cloak, but I _do_ have a plain green and gray one somewhere," Raine said and grinned as well, "Even then, I'd be pretty hard to spot, given the right conditions."

"Next year's a long ways away though. Damn, maybe I can get good enough to beat Pyrrha." Auron mused and leaned back in his chair.

"We have RWBY, SSSN, APCT, GNJR, BRNZ, and CFVY to worry about too… a lot of people to prepare for." Alyss stated and looked out the window.

"Ooohhh I hope we get to fight GNJR." Auron grinned at the prospect.

Jace tilted his head as a question popped into his mind. "What weapon would be worse to go up against, _Crescent Rose_ or _Magnhild_?" He wondered out loud.

"I'd rather not find out," Raine started and chuckled, "But for me, I'd say _Crescent Rose_. Ruby might be able to actually see me through her scope and shoot at me from a distance."

"Yeah, but you saw what happened with May. I think that was her name." Jace remarked.

"I don't mean anything bad by this," Raine said, "But I'm not gonna be _that_ easy to see."

"Fair point," Jace relented and turned to the others, "What about you guys?"

Alyss thought for a long moment about it. "Probably _Crescent Rose_ , at a distance _or_ in close quarters," She said and shrugged, "Although _Magnhild_ would be really tough too."

"I'm sayin' _Magnhild_ ," Auron said and grinned, "I know how to deal with warhammers, just not grenade launchers. I could probably put up a wall to block Ruby's shots or slashes, but Nora could just blast it down."

"Yeah, _Crescent Rose_ for me," Jace said and leaned forward, looking at the dust on the table, "I don't know though, I might, that's a huge _might_ , be able to deal with close quarters with Ruby, but I don't know about _Magnhild_. I don't want to go up against either."

They put their thoughts aside and put their focus back on practicing their dust forging. Alyss had made a few small rounds for _Soul Leaf,_ Jace made only one for _Ebon_ , and Raine also only had one for _Shagahod_.

"Alright, you got your first rounds of ammo made. Congrats," Auron said and nodded to them all, "Keep it up an' you can just buy dust crystals when you're low on ammo. It's cheaper too. Just try to keep up with your casin's."

"Thanks for teaching us." Alyss said to him.

"Don't mention it. This was originally somethin' my ancestors did, an' they passed it down through the family on dad's side," Auron took a look around the table at his teammates and smiled, "I don't think dad trusted his team enough back in Shade, he wasn't there too long before that crap happened. There was one guy he was friends with, but I never met 'im. An' he didn't want anyone comin' after mom for it. Only people genetically outside the family that knows is Preacher an' you. I trust you three."

"We won't show anyone else unless you say we can." Jace said with a nod.

"Alright then. Anyway, y'all keep on practicin'." Auron replied and went to make his ammunition.

"I have an idea for something…" Raine said and everyone turned to her.

"What is it?" Jace asked.

"You remember during initiation how we used our scrolls in a group call to keep in touch?" She asked and everyone nodded.

"How about we make pockets or something like that to wear on our outfits. Up here…" She pointed to the left side of her chest, just under her collarbone, "So that we would be able to understand each other better if we needed to do that again."

Everyone thought on what Raine suggested. It would certainly be better than having their scrolls in pouches on their belts, they wouldn't be required to yell as loudly and it would allow them to communicate better.

"That sounds good. I say we do it." Auron said after a moment.

"Yeah, we can do that. It'll help in the future," Jace said and gave Raine a smile, "Good idea."

"Do we even have anything here to make them?" Alyss asked.

Jace stood and went to his and Raine's shared dresser and found his extra cloth fragments. "I still have extra cloth from when I fixed up my outfit," He said and took some over to the table.

"I say we go ahead and make them."

Everyone nodded in agreement and Jace set the cloth on the table. Raine retrieved her own sowing supplies she brought and passed needles and thread to everyone, then they worked on their project.

* * *

"So, when's Yang and Weiss' match?" Jace asked Ruby in the hallway the next day.

"Day after tomorrow I think. They'll be the first to fight in the day." She replied.

Jace sighed and shook his head. "Dust, I need to find out who to cheer for. Flynt and Neon are some of the nicer people from Atlas, never got on my bad side." He said and crossed his arms, shaking his head more.

"Just cheer them all," Ruby said cheerfully, "It's what I'd do if two of my friends were against each other."

Jace smiled and nodded. "That's the easiest thing to do isn't it?"

"Yup!"

* * *

"Ozpin… what are we going to do?" Ironwood asked in annoyance, "The Rangers say that the White Fang are preparing for something, but we don't know what it is."

Ozpin sighed and looked up from his desk. "We cannot risk making a move toward the White Fang and open ourselves up for her to strike." He replied calmly.

"And what of the Crimson Lance!? That branch of the White Fang are there as well, planning _something_ while we wait and pretend nothing is happening!" Ironwood stated furiously.

"It's all we can do, James…" Ozpin said and took a drink of his coffee.

"And what will we do if the Fang and the Lance attack?" The General asked.

"Then…" Ozpin paused and shook his head, "I suppose we would have to act."

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: I hope you liked APCT vs GNJR. And yes, I really went with a suplex as one of Terra's moves. That's her fighting style. It's also unexpected when you're getting behind someone to attack. No one expects a suplex. Maybe some people will get the reference with Paige's weapons. They're named after an old pro wrestling tag team from the WWF. Demolition. Their members were Axe and Smash. Paige uses an axe and a mace.**

 **The way I have ammo working in this is basically like real world ammo. You have the casings, then the burn dust as gunpowder, then a tip made out of other dust.**

 **And now for the next chapter. You guys might guess it. But it's coming.**

 **See you then, and have a nice day!**


	40. Chapter 39: The Winds of Change

**AN: Merry Christmas, everyone. Now, this might be a weird since I'm someone you don't know, but do me a favor. If today's a day you've got family over or if your going to visit family, then wait on reading this. This'll always be here ready to be read, but your family won't. I know it's what a lot of you would do anyway. I say this because my friend just lost his dad this month and this is the first Christmas his family will have without him.**

 **Have a good day, guys. Stay safe.**

 **XxXxX**

 **The Winds Of Change**

"Come on Yang! Come on Weiss! You got this!" Ruby yelled toward her teammates as the fight went on.

"Oh man! Next year, we'll be in this too!" Jace yelled over the cheering crowd, "It's gonna be fun!"

"You really can't wait can you?" Alyss asked him and squeezed his hand.

"No I can't! Maybe Raine and Ruby can have their sniper duel!" Jace replied and grinned.

"Now that'll be fun!" Ruby said to him and looked over to Raine, "Get ready Raine!"

"Trust me! I'll be ready!" Raine replied and grinned to her.

They turned their attention back to the fight and Weiss was knocked down, Yang was facing off against Neon and Flynt was about to attack Yang from behind. Before he did anything, Weiss got up and tackled Flynt onto a fire vent just before it went off, saving Yang from the attack but taking Weiss down dangerously past her aura's limits.

"Weiss!" Ruby called out and jumped from her seat in worry.

Blake rose from her seat as well and and placed her hand on her shoulder. "She'll be alright, Ruby…"

Jace sat on the edge of his seat along with his team, holding his right arm closer to his body. "Getting burned is some of the worst pain. Holy hell…"

"Damn, she's got guts to sacrifice herself like that," Auron said and shook his head, "Hope she'll be good."

"After the match, I'll try to help out." Alyss said as she held Jace's hand tighter.

"She'll definitely need it." Raine commented.

Yang knocked Flynt's aura the rest of the way to the red past the lowered limit and focused her attack to Neon. She launched her dust shells at the cat Faunus and Neon got away, only to trip up on a crack in the ground and be sent into the air by a torrent of water shooting into the sky. Yang fired off another shell at her and it connected, creating a rather colorful explosion and ending the match.

"Here are your winners representing team RWBY and Beacon! Weiss Schnee and Yang Xiao Long!"

No sooner than the words were said, the light wall was taken down and Ruby and Blake jumped over the wall to rush to their teammates.

"I'm gonna go wait for them outside the infirmary, I'll see you all back at the dorm." Alyss said and gave Jace a quick kiss, then departed.

"That was a good match. I hope Weiss'll be alright." Raine said and they all started to depart from the stadium to the airdocks

* * *

"Thank you again, Alyss." Weiss said as team RWBY and Alyss arrived at the former's room.

"S'no problem…" Alyss replied tiredly and yawned, "I'm glad that you're okay."

"Still, I appreciate it greatly." Weiss said and nodded her head.

"Yeah. I wouldn't have minded it, but now we don't have to take care of her." Yang said with a laugh.

"Oh shut it Yang… aren't you tired?" Weiss asked the brawler.

"Nope! I'm way too excited about the finals!"

"Oh yeah! I can wait to see you fight sis!" Ruby said excitedly.

"I think you should just rest for now, both of you." Blake spoke up and put her hands on Weiss and Yang's shoulders.

"I'm gonna go to our room and sleep… See you guys later." Alyss said and departed from them.

"Bye." Each of team RWBY said and disappeared to their room.

Alyss made it back to the dorm and unlocked the door. She opened it and immediately went to the bed she and Jace now shared and laid down.

"I'm baaaack…" She said tiredly to the only one in the room.

"I see that," Jace said from the table and went to close the door, then he sat with her, "How's Weiss?"

Alyss sat up and leaned against him. "She's alright… She was burned like… _everywhere_." She yawned and closed her eyes for a moment.

"Burns suck. It feels like blood rushes to it and it's so irritating and painful," Jace shuddered at the memory of his own burns, "At least she didn't have to deal with it for long, thanks to you." He said with a smile and kissed her.

"Hmm…" Alyss hummed and threw her arms around him. Jace wrapped his right arm around her as well and they kept the kiss going for a few moments. After a minute, they broke apart and Jace sat further on the bed, letting Alyss lean against his chest to take a nap. She turned on her side and curled up a bit as she laid her head just under his chin.

"Where are the others?" Alyss asked before she went to sleep.

"Auron's talking to Pyrrha before their match. Raine went with Vivi to talk with one of the other Rangers," Jace answered and kissed between her Faunus ears, drawing a deep purr from her, "I stayed here to wait for you and make sure you're okay."

"Hmm, you're so sweet…" Alyss said and closed her eyes.

* * *

Jace was woken up by the sound of the door opening. He didn't even realize he'd fallen asleep. He still had his right arm around Alyss' waist as she laid with him. The front of her torso was pressed against him now as she had her arms wrapped around him.

"Hey Raine." Jace greeted with a yawn.

"Oh, were you sleeping?" Raine asked as she shut the door lightly.

"Yeah, I was. Alyss still is." Jace answered quietly.

Raine nodded and sat down on her bed, "I checked on how Weiss was. She still smells a bit singed, but she's good. I guess that's why Alyss is asleep?"

"Yeah. How'd it go with the other Ranger?"

"He said that the White Fang and the Crimson Lance are gearing up for something but he didn't know what." Raine replied and frowned.

" _Them_ … Hopefully it'll get dealt with." Jace said and Alyss started to stir.

"Hmm… what time is it?" She asked tiredly without opening her eyes.

"Almost six in the afternoon. You getting up?" Jace asked her.

"Yeah… yeah." Alyss yawned and pushed herself up, putting her face in front of his. She kissed him and twisted around to lean back into him. "Hey Raine." She greeted the other girl.

"Hey there sleepyhead. Have a good nap?" Raine asked with a grin.

"Oh yeah. I had a good pillow." Alyss replied as she gave a matching grin, if a bit more tired.

"That's the first time I've ever been referred to as a pillow," Jace said and laughed lightly. His breath caused Alyss' ears to flick around and he leaned forward a bit to kiss in between them, getting her to purr again, "But I honestly don't mind."

"Good. 'Cause if I have my way, you'll be my pillow for a _looong_ time," Alyss said with a smile, then grew a bit nervous, "You know, I wouldn't mind if you umm… scratched behind my ears every so often. Y'know, if you want." She finished shyly.

From her seat on the other bed, Raine grinned at her request for Jace. Jace smiled and brought his right hand up to her head and started to gently dig his fingernails behind her right ear. "This okay, Kitten?" Jace asked as she purred under the sensation. Alyss pushed her head against his hand as she closed her eyes in pleasure.

"Ooohhh thank you," Alyss said quietly, "It's been even longer since someone did this. Scritches are just _sooo_ good."

"I'll take that as a yes." Jace grinned.

"I'm glad you're starting to let your inner cat out." Raine said to Alyss.

"I'm getting more used to being around all of you and being in our room," Alyss replied happily as she seemed to melt under Jace's fingers, "I'm glad you guys aren't against it."

"Oh please," Jace said softly, "It's who you are. If you wanna act like the adorable little kitten you are, then you definitely can. None of us will judge you."

"Exactly," Raine continued, "You have to let your inner self out sometimes. I just wish that Faunus wouldn't get judged for it in public by idiots. I wish Blake didn't have to hide, either."

Jace sighed. "Yeah… People can be real assholes about stuff they have no business talking about."

"Maybe things'll change," Alyss said lightly, "Maybe Blake can be herself someday. Same with other Faunus."

After a few moments of silence, other than that of Alyss' purring, Raine spoke up. "How do you think Pyrrha and Nora's match went?" She asked them both.

"It went pretty damn good, they won!" Auron said excitedly as he entered the room. He looked at Jace and Alyss and grinned, "Damn Alyss, when did you decide to get so… catty?"

"Since I got comfortable with living in a new place around three people," Alyss replied and looked over to him, "You okay with it?"

"Hell yeah, I'm okay with it!" Auron said with a smile, "Ain't no one got any rights to tell you not to. You're happy, right?" He asked.

" _Very_." She answered.

"Then that's what matters. Besides, havin' an adorable lil' kitty cat like you is gonna keep at least one of us from gettin' grumpy."

"You're not wrong." Jace said with a smile.

"Okay, since everyone is in agreement on it, I need to make sure about something else," Alyss said and looked between Auron and Raine, "It'll be completely random, but I need to know if you'd be okay with me pouncing on you guys. It comes with being a cat Faunus, some of us like to just pounce on people every once in a while. Makes us feel at home and even more comfortable. Like what I did to Jace at his house."

"I'm good with it." Jace said quickly.

"Maybe if you can catch me off guard," Raine said with a grin, "Ranger training upped my natural senses. Good luck."

That left Alyss to look up to Auron. He tried to keep a straight face, but he couldn't suppress a grin. "If you think you can knock me over with that small body o' yours, then you're welcome to try."

Alyss smiled widely as she leaned her head back into Jace's chest with a short _mewl_. "You guys are great. Thanks."

"Did… Did you just _meow_?" Jace asked.

"Oh, yeah. That'll happen sometimes when I'm happy."

"Alyss…" Auron sighed, "I swear you're gonna make me lose my man-card." He said and drew laughs from everyone.

"Okay, my hand's getting pretty tired. I guess I'm done," Jace said and lowered his hand down to Alyss' waist, "But I'll do it every now and then."

Alyss sighed happily as she locked her finger's with Jace's. "It doesn't have to be _that_ often. It's preferable, but not often."

"I'll work out a schedule," Jace said and kissed the back of her head, "How about every morning?"

"That sounds awesome."

"How much more semi-finals are left?" Raine asked Auron.

"About three I think," He replied and stretched out on his bed, "When they get done today, the finals'll start tomorrow night."

"So," Alyss started as a yawn escaped her, "Tomorrow night is the first match?"

"Yeah, Pyrrha's goin' for her team. Damn, next year can't come soon enough." Auron said with a grin.

"Who else won earlier, if you saw the other matches?" Raine asked.

"Damn, y'all are full of questions," Auron said and laughed, "Yeah, I seen a few. I cant remember who was in the one after right after Yang and Weiss. Ashe an' Tyr won their match an' another team from Atlas moved forward. Girls named Penny and Ciel. Wasn't that tough for 'em. They went against Russell an' Sky from CRDL."

"Huh, We just met Penny last week. She's a nice person." Jace said.

"How'd ya meet her?" Auron asked.

Jace chuckled at the question. "Who's asking questions now?" He smirked.

Auron smirked in return. "If ya wanna get technical, you are."

"Oh whatever," Jace said and ignored the giggle from his girlfriend, "Anyways, I accidentally bumped into Penny at the fairgrounds when me and Alyss were there."

"That's one way to meet someone I guess." Raine remarked with a grin.

"I met all of you in a weird way too," Jace said and laughed, "Not that I'm complaining."

* * *

"It looks like the first match of the finals will be Yang Xiao Long of Beacon vs Mercury Black of Haven!" The announcers called and the crowd roared with applause and cheers for the two who made it to the finals.

"Well, here it is!" Auron called out and whistled in support for Yang.

"Break a leg sis!" Ruby called for her sister.

"Mercury's one of the ones I seen yesterday before Pyrrha's match." Auron said to his team as all the cheering died down, "He uses guns in his boots so his fightin' style is kick-based while Yang's is punch-based. It's gonna be a damn-good show!"

Everyone watched in excitement as the fight started and Yang and Mercury threw explosive punches and kicks at each other.

"Hey Auron. Just think, next year it could be you and Pyrrha again." Alyss said and caused Auron to grin.

"Hell yeah! Me an' her on the grandest stage of 'em all. Now that's somethin' I'll look forward to." Auron replied excitedly and looked back to the match.

"There's gonna be another apprentice Ranger next year," Raine said and got Jace's attention, "Vaas, the Ranger I met yesterday, said that an apprentice will be going to Shade."

"I'll look forward to it." Jace replied to her.

They looked back to the fight and saw Mercury launching blasts of ice into the air. They spinned around him and when he kicked at Yang again, they came crashing down on her. He turned and walked away as if he'd won, but Yang rose from the mist and assaulted him again.

"That was a hell of a move!" Jace remarked.

"I'd hate to get hit by it, that's for damn sure." Auron said.

"Here is your winner! Yang Xiao Long!" Port called through the arena and the crowd erupted in cheers and applause.

"Wooo! I knew you could do it Yang!" Ruby called out, jumping up and down in excitement.

"That was something. I guess punching is better than-" Jace was cut off by the whole arena going silent within a second at what just happened as his mouth hung open in disbelief.

Yang just broke Mercury's leg while he was kneeling on the ground.

"What the fuck just happened?" Auron asked quietly in confusion, watching the security that now surrounded Yang. Everyone sat in shocked silence for several moments while most of the attendants filed from the arena in disgust.

"Oh no…" Alyss said and gripped Jace's hand at seeing Yang's shoulders slumped down.

"I'm sure Mercury will be alright Alyss…" Jace tried to assure her and held her hand tighter.

"That's not what I'm worried about, I know he'll get help… I'm worried about Yang…"

* * *

Everyone sat in the dorm in silence for a long while, trying to process what had happened. No one knew what exactly to say or how to say it.

"Something isn't right. It isn't fucking right," Jace said as he sat in a chair, staring out the window at the colosseum, "I've fought with Yang, side by side, and she never seemed like someone to do that."

"I don't know what to think…" Auron said and shook his head, "She's a carefree person, I doubt she'd do that without a reason… but I just don't know."

Raine shook her head and sighed, "I can't think of any reason why she'd do that."

Alyss didn't even have any words to give about the situation. She was too worried for Yang.

They all sat in silence again until they went to bed. Although none of them could fall asleep so quickly, even Alyss, as tired as she still was.

* * *

"Hey Ruby… how's Yang?" Jace asked as he and Alyss found Ruby at a fountain outside the next day.

"Hey guys…" Ruby greeted and tried to put on a cheerful expression, but failed, "She's… not too good. Yang's pretty shook up about it."

"Yeah, I could only guess…" Alyss said and sighed.

The three went to sit down on a bench near the fountain. "Did she say why she did that?" Alyss asked.

Ruby shook her head sadly, "She says that she saw him try to attack her, but… everyone saw what happened… I trust her though, she didn't mean it."

With those simple words, gears started to slowly turn in Jace's mind. "Wait… what did you mean by 'she saw him attack?'" He asked quietly.

"Like… she imagined it. General Ironwood said that adrenaline can do that to you."

Jace thought for a few moments on that. Yang imagined it? She thought she saw Mercury attack her, but in reality he didn't. Like she was put under an illusion of some kind. His mind raced at why this sounded familiar, then it hit him hard. His memory went back to the one incident that caused him to be there.

"Oh no…" Jace said and stood up quickly, "I-I need to go talk to Yang." He walked as fast as he could back toward the dorms.

"What's wrong?" Ruby called after him.

"I don't know… but I hope that he can say something to help her." Alyss sighed again as her ears flattened against her head.

Jace didn't stop for anything and went straight for team RWBY's dorm room, hoping that he was just in some bad dream. It was a small hope, but he knew that this was very real.

 _"No no no no no oh fuck no…"_ He said over and over in his head until he reached the room. He rapped on the door four times and waited as patiently as he could.

The door slowly came open and he looked at the girl that opened it. "Hey Yang… can I come in?"

"What's up, Jace?" She asked, trying to sound as normal as she could.

"My worries, if that's an answer," Jace said, his voice slightly quivering out of fear.

"What… w-what exactly happened?"

Yang sat on Blake's bed and looked out the window. "I was standing there, I said 'Better luck next time.' He said 'There won't be a next time,' and he tried to attack me," She explained, trying to keep her voice steady.

"And… It was self defense. You believe me… don't you?"

"If what I'm worried about is true… then I believe you. And I think that something really bad is gonna happen." Jace answered quietly.

Yang looked at him in confusion. Jace looked like he had seen a ghost, his ruby-red and sky-blue eyes were wide open.

Wide with fear.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Back when me and Gen were looking for stuff in the forest, and when we were fighting, we looked out into the trees and we saw a lot of Grimm… just staring at us… then they came at us and we prepared," Jace swallowed the lump in his throat and closed his eyes, then gritted his teeth in anger, "We were tricked. That scientist hired someone to put an illusion or something on us. The Grimm were fake. That's how we were taken."

"Are you saying that someone made me see that to get me to attack him!?" Yang's eyes flashed crimson at what he suggested.

Jace nodded sadly. "And with the White Fang and the Crimson Lance doing something… I'm worried that person is here and they're trying something bad."

"So someone's going around casting illusions somehow and I'm the first to fall for it here? Damn it! I can't do anything because I'm just stuck in here under house arrest!" Yang said and looked at the ground.

Jace went and put a hand on her shoulder. "I'll try to look through that journal again… try to find out who it could be… Tell your team what I said and to be careful. See you later."

"Thanks Jace." Yang said and Jace left the room.

Jace walked to his dorm and sat down in a chair. He put his head in his hands and tried to clear his mind for a moment before he looked through Grigori's journal.

"Dust… please not this person again." He said out loud and went to find the journal. It's clear he would not get any sleep that night.

* * *

"Everything alright, Jace?" Raine asked as the team arrived back at the colosseum later in the day for the next match."

"To be honest… no." He answered worriedly as he clutched his prosthetic closer to his body.

"What's eatin' at ya?" Auron asked. They went to sit down on a bench and Jace put his head in his hands.

"The pain's kicking up in my arm for starters…"

Alyss placed her hand on his back and rubbed lightly to try to soothe him as best she could. "Jace talked to Yang earlier. He's worried that the person that was responsible for him being kidnapped is here… and whoever it is caused Yang to do that."

Auron and Raine stared at each other in confusion, then back to Jace. "Didn't you deal with him though?" Auron asked.

"I dealt with Grigori. The person I'm worried about did something to us… made us see a horde of Grimm in the trees," Jace said and shook his head, "The only thing I found is their name starts with 'E,' nothing else about it. I'm just… really scared about what might happen." He finished in nearly a whimper.

Auron and Raine put their hands on his shoulders. "You told us to be ready for anything and we will. Whatever happens, if they try it again and we catch them, we'll take care of it." Raine said.

"If whoever it is fucks with us, _any_ of us again, there'll be hell comin for 'em." Auron added.

"The second match of the finals is about to begin! It will be Pyrrha Nikos of Beacon vs Penny Polendina of Atlas!" Oobleck called through the speakers and team JKDW heard the crowd from where they were.

"Come on Jace," Alyss said and kissed his cheek, "Let's go find some seats."

"Yeah… let's go." Jace said and stood, then they made their way to the stands.

* * *

"Who's louder? Auron or Nora?" Alyss asked jokingly to Jaune while the match was raging in the arena.

"Umm…" Jaune started, seeming distracted, "I'd say they're about the same."

"It looks like they're trying to see for themselves." Raine said and looked at them.

"Come on Pyr! Teach her how us Mistralians fight!" Auron called as loud as he could and whistled.

"Win it for us girl!" Nora called even louder, grinning at Auron as well.

"Yeah. You're right, Raine." Alyss said to her teammate.

She turned and regarded Jace. "You okay sweetie?" She asked softly in his ear, knowing he could hear.

"I just… I can't stay focused right now…" Jace replied and shook his head, "I can't stop worrying about this."

Alyss leaned over and hugged him tightly. She hated seeing him like this and hated that she couldn't help ease his mind. "I'm sure it'll be alright, Jace." She tried to assure him and released her hug.

Jace put his head down and sighed. "I really hope so."

Alyss leaned her head over and rubbed it against his shoulder a few times to see if that would help ease him. It seemed to work as his body grew less tense, until something was said behind them.

"Dust, why do the animals come out at night?" A man said to his female companion.

"I don't know, dear. It's distracting."

Jace clenched his fists and turned around in his seat. "How about both of you shut the FUCK up and mind your own fucking business! What my girlfriend does isn't something you God damn racists need to worry about!" He yelled at the two, stunning them into silence.

"Jace, please calm down." Alyss said at his side and he turned away from the two behind them.

"I'm sorry…" Jace said to her as he held his head down.

"Wow, just… _wow_ ," The man said, "Looks like he's taking after…" His words died in his throat as he saw Auron facing him with an intense glare in his eyes.

"I suggest you keep your mouth shut. My friend is dealin' with way too much right now to have to put up with people like _you_. So keep your opinions to yourself."

The man gulped and shrunk in his seat as Auron turned back around.

Jace was still looking down when everyone in the arena gasped in horror, then went dead silent. Jace felt his hand being squeezed hard.

Then he looked up.

His eyes went wide in fear as he saw the aftermath of what just happened. Penny was torn to pieces and Pyrrha was looking on in horror at what she had done. There was a voice overriding the sound system, but Jace was zoned out as he looked at Penny's remains. She looked robotic on the inside, the entire sight sent a terrible chill down Jace's spine. Then he remembered a nightmare he had before, back when he stayed in the hospital.

One person torn apart.

"Jace!" Alyss called and shook his arm, jolting him into focus.

"Jace! Come on! There's a Nevermore breaking in!"

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: Heh, sorry for this chapter on Christmas of all days. It's the fact that it's the start of the invasion that has me sorry.**

 **This was a chapter setting up for the beginning of the end, the Battle of Beacon, and the fight of their lives. Hopefully you all enjoy it.**

 **See you next chapter. Merry Christmas and have a nice day!**


	41. Chapter 40: Land of Confusion

**Land Of Confusion**

 _"And I heard as it were, the noise of thunder. One of the four beasts saying come and see, and I saw, and behold…_

 _A white horse."_

* * *

Jace shook himself back to his senses as the Nevermore broke through the barrier of the colosseum. It swooped down and slammed to the ground, sending Jaune and Pyrrha flying away. It screeched loudly and went straight for Pyrrha, but Ruby jumped in and stunned it by firing a beam from one of Penny's swords.

"LEAVE HER ALONE!"

Griffons started to fly into the arena as a barrage of rocket lockers shot into the Nevermore and pinned it to the ground, then a number of the Vytal Tournament contestants re-armed themselves.

Jace took _Standoff_ from where it sat and sliced at a Griffon that came for him and his team. It was stunned and Auron took his revolvers out to blast it in the head with all barrels to kill it. Raine picked up _Amaranth_ and started loosing arrows at other smaller Griffons, striking them in the wings and sending them crashing to the ground hard.

"Group call! Now!" Jace called and his team complied, setting their scrolls in the pouches they made, but not before Auron, Raine, and Alyss called their weapons in.

"I'm heading down there to see if they can think of what's happening. Raine, Auron, cover me with your rifles." Jace said and felt his heart threatening to beat out from his chest. The two nodded as their lockers came down, then they retrieved their weapons.

"I'm coming with you." Alyss said and retrieved _Soul Leaf_ and _Atronach_.

"Alright. Come on." Jace said and the two jumped from the stands and ran toward the others.

At Jace's request before they set out to the arena, spawned from his mounting worry, his team donned their combat outfits and attended the match ready for anything. He just wished his fears didn't come to pass.

Jace and Alyss arrived to Ruby, Pyrrha and the others and Jace looked around at them. "Does anyone know what the hell is happening?"

"I don't know…" Ruby started and took a breath, "But this is bad."

"R-Ruby…" Pyrrha started shakily, "I'm so sorry…"

"It wasn't your fault Pyrrha… it's theirs. Emerald, Mercury, and whoever was on the speakers…" Ruby said angrily.

Jace tilted his head in confusion. "Mercury? Didn't he get taken back to Mistral? And wasn't his friend-" Jace stopped as his mind halted on the name, "Wait… Emerald… Is that the person that did it?" He asked more to himself than anything.

"It was a lie, Jace. Mercury chased me earlier and I saw Emerald in the stands. They caused this. There's no going around it."

Jace took his scroll and called his locker and waited, then talked through it. "You two hear that?"

"I heard it alright… they'll get what's comin' to 'em," Auron said and blasted a young Nevermore from the sky, "One God damn way or another."

"I'll make sure the Rangers find out. They'll do something." Raine said and shot another Griffon from above the others.

Everyone heard the screech of a Griffon from behind them and turned to attack it. Before it got to them, a locker struck it in the head and crushed it to the ground, killing it instantly. Then four more slammed into the ground around the first

"Who's are those?" Jace heard Neon ask.

He walked to his locker and opened it, then put _Standoff_ on his back as he took _Siege Breaker_ from his locker, along with the four magazines he shoved in pouches he made for them. APCT walked up and took their weapons from theirs as well.

"Paige, shouldn't you be in your room recovering?" Jace asked.

"Probably," Paige replied, "But I wanted to see the fights live… I just didn't want to see _this_."

"So you guys are gonna fight?" Jace asked with a small grin.

"We're not letting you guys deal with this alone," Terra replied and turned to Paige, "Right babe?"

"Damn right." He replied.

"That goes for everyone here." Ashe added and looked to all the others.

"I did not expect to be in the middle of a Grimm attack…" Tyr said as he held his sword to his side by the base of the blade, "But I will fight."

Jace put _Siege Breaker_ in its artillery form and turned to the group, then addressed Alyss and Ruby, "One way or the other… they're gonna pay."

"Right," Ruby said and turned to everyone, "Can someone let me use their scroll? Mine's busted." Sun nodded and tossed her his scroll and she called her locker in.

"Everyone! We are evacuating! Leave for the airbus immediately!" Professor Port called as he and Oobleck entered the area.

All of the others filed out as Jaune brought Pyrrha her sword and shield, "Come on, Pyrrha…" She took hold of them and stood, then followed the others out.

"Auron, Raine, come on." Jace said into his scroll and he and Alyss waited.

Another Griffon came toward them and Jace swung around and fired _Siege Breaker_ at it until it dropped. Another came and Alyss sidestepped it, then brought the blade of _Soul Leaf_ deep into its wing, causing it to crash to the ground. Jace had _Siege Breaker_ transformed already and he brought the heavy axe down onto its neck to kill it.

"You kids get out of here. We'll hold them off." Oobleck said and sent out fire at another Griffon.

"Right… good luck." Jace said and they went toward the exit.

A Griffon dove straight down for them, screeching loudly as it went. Auron used his semblance and launched himself for it with a metal pillar. He crashed into it, stabbing his blade into its neck as he met it. He fired off a round from _Last Call_ , using the recoil to cut the beast's head off. He rode it down to the ground, using it to break his fall.

Raine met up with them at the exit with _Amaranth_ in her hands and an arrow on the string. "Let's get on the airbus." She said and they went.

"I need to check on mom…" Alyss said and brought her scroll out, then called.

After more than a few moments, Alyss sighed and shook her head. "She's not answering…"

"We can go down to the city and check. I'm sure she's alright, Alyss." Jace said and nodded to her.

"Thanks, Jace"

They made it to the others as General Ironwood finished addressing them. "…No one would fault you." After those words, everyone boarded the ship.

"Jace!" Ironwood said and got Jace and his team's attention.

"The White Fang and the Crimson Lance are here," He said and their heads bolted to attention, "I know you and Auron have a history with them. Be careful. From what I understand, the Lance's leader is here as well."

Auron's lips twitched into a scowl at the information. "Hawk…" He said and took a deep breath to calm his anger.

"Get onboard the ship and go," The General said, then looked to _Siege Breaker_ , "That weapon was created for purposes like this. Put it to good use, but remember. These were still in testing stages when they were stolen. It was made with strong metals, but not the alloy used in our Paladins or your prosthetic."

"I'll use it the best I can. Good luck, sir." Jace replied and they went to the ship.

Team JKDW walked to a wall and stood there, not saying a word. After a few moments, they looked out to see the ship Ironwood left in blew up and went toward the ground. Ruby saw it and bolted out of the airship as Sun called after her. The airship departed soon after, no one hardly said a word for most of the ride.

"Gods… I hope the General is okay." Jace said in fear.

"I'm sure he's good," Auron assured him, "He's the General of the Atlesian military. He's gotta be one tough son of a bitch to be called that."

"Y-yeah, you're right."

"What are you gonna do if you see Emerald?" Alyss asked Jace quietly.

"What I'm gonna do… I'm gonna get justice for Genesis and dad. If I see her, I'll kill her." Jace answered lowly.

"If you don't see her… please don't chase after them…"

"Only if I find her, I'll do something. If I don't… then I know I can't do a damn thing about it…" Jace replied and leaned his back against a wall.

"I know that's a one-way street. That's how my dad told me his brother died."

The airbus touched down and team JKDW was the first to bolt from the doors, followed by JNPR, then APCT, CFVY, and SSSN.

"Do you guys have things handled up here?" Jace asked their leaders.

"Yeah, we got it covered." Coco answered and brought out her minigun.

"We're gonna head into the city and see what we can do there… good luck, guys." Jace said to them all.

"We'll go with you," Tyr said and stood next to him, "We can do more good in the city."

"Is your eye alright, Paige?" Jace asked the dual wielder.

"It's still bugging me a bit, but I'll be alright." He replied and held his mace and axe tightly.

"Alright. Let's get going." Jace said and they started to run toward the long road that led down to the city.

* * *

They fought through smaller Grimm as they made their way down the road. Raine and Ashe kept most of them at a distance with _Shagahod_ and _Vulcan_ respectively. Jace, Auron, Alyss, Tyr, Paige, and Terra dealt with those that got close to them.

Alyss tried calling her mother again, but no answer still. "Damn it mom… please pick up your scroll…"

Jace put his arm around her and hugged her. "We'll check on her. We'll get _Titan_ and go as fast as we can." He assured her.

She calmed herself and nodded, then they continued on. Raine shot all the Grimm she aimed at accurately until she ran out of ammo in three of her eight magazines, then she put _Shagahod_ on her back and brought out her bow. Ashe reloaded her pistols' projectile magazines and kept firing into the Grimm while Tyr had her back with _Earthcutter._ He sliced into the Grimms' hides with great power and sent shockwaves through the ground with the dust in its chamber. Terra dodged strikes easily and placed direct and powerful punches to the Grimms' chests and throats with _Bullhammer_ , breaking their necks and bursting their black hearts with the force.

When they reached the bottom of the road, Raine and Ashe received a call from Will.

"Raine! Ashe! Where are you!?"

"At the bottom of the road leading up to Beacon. We were going to see about what we can do down here." Raine answered as they took a break.

"Okay. Me, Vivi, and the other Rangers are setting up a safe zone for civilians at the docks. If you see anyone, direct them here."

"Alright Will. Be careful." Ashe said and they ended the call.

"If we see any civilians, we need to tell them to get to the docks. The Rangers have a safe zone for them so they can get out." She explained to the group.

"Damn it… I hope Jack and Caitlyn are alright." Jace said in fear for the two.

They each nodded in understanding of the Ranger's order and they continued on. It looked like the entirety of Vale was under attack from Grimm. They saw burning and wrecked vehicles, destroyed buildings, and scraps from Atlesian Knights littering the ground. It was nothing like the breach that Vale endured months prior. This was an invasion.

After running for what seemed like forever, they finally made it to the garages. The ground was littered with debris from everything, a large amount was blocking the garage door that housed _Titan._ Jace took _Standoff_ from his back and sliced at the door two times, vertically and horizontally. The door fell down and Jace ran inside. He opened a compartment to quickly store his sword and jumped on _Titan_ to drive it from the garage.

Auron arrived at his truck and was overcome with confusion and anger. The door of his truck was ripped off and thrown somewhere. He rushed over and looked inside, seeing nothing major had been done. The only thing missing was _Edgecrusher_ , the weapon of the former Crimson Lance lieutenant he killed months ago. He shook his head as he got in the driver's seat.

"Damn looters. Already a damn pain." He grumbled and started his truck.

Jace handed _Siege Breaker_ to Tyr as his team jumped in the back of the truck and he waited for Alyss to get on _Titan_. They didn't bother putting their helmets on and the team bolted as fast as they could down the road toward Alyss' home.

* * *

They stopped in front of her house and dismounted _Titan_ quickly, then ran to the door. Auron and Raine arrived shortly after and Auron brought a revolver out. APCT stayed by the vehicles and stood guard. Alyss tried opening the door but it was locked tight. She stepped aside as Jace broke the door down, allowing them entry into the darkened home. They saw that the door was barred by chairs as well. They could see that the power was out there and Alyss rushed through the house until they came to the living room, where she looked in wide-eyed horror.

A member of the Crimson Lance was standing over her now-earless mother with a bloody sword in his hand.

"Mom!?" She called out in fear as the man turned around.

"Well look who it is…" The man said and laughed, "What? Don't you recognize me?" He took off his mask with his left hand, which was heavily scarred.

"What kind of person doesn't remember their own father?"

Alyss looked at him in confusion as he laughed. "W-why!? Why are you here!?" She yelled at him.

"I'm here to help bring equality to the Faunus… I tried _so_ hard, but she just wouldn't listen." He said and smirked at Alyss.

"Equality!? This isn't equality! A whole city is overrun with fucking Grimm and you call _that_ equality!?" Alyss yelled at him as tears streamed down her face.

"And what's better? Waiting for humans to slowly snuff us out? Like her?" The man pointed to Lilith with his blade. "Or is it better to take our lives back and make something of ourselves?"

"None of that is true!" Alyss argued with him.

He shook his head and glared at her. "Gods, you are such a disgrace. Just like _her_."

Alyss let her gaze fall to her mother and realized fully what he had done. He had taken away her ears, her _pride_. Then she saw the wound in her chest. "Mom… no…" She said and her ears went flat against her head and her tears started to fall even more.

Jace took one glance at her and saw her tears. That was what told him to act. He jumped forward using bolt dust in his legs and grabbed the man's head, then slammed him into the wall. He turned and threw him toward Auron, who was standing away from Alyss. Auron reared his gauntleted hand back, then punched the man flying toward him in the face, knocking him straight to the floor. He picked the man up by the head with his large hand and carried him outside, followed by Raine.

Jace took another look at Alyss and it sent a sharp pain through his heart to see all the tears falling from her eyes now. He followed the others outside to let her be alone.

"A-Alyss?" Lilith said lowly, making Alyss' ears shoot back up.

Alyss kneeled by her mother's side quickly and started breaking down in heavy sobs. She put her hands on the wound on Lilith's chest and started using her semblance, but she weakly pushed Alyss' hands away.

"It's… too late. Too serious to help…" Lilith said and Alyss shook her head frantically.

"No… No! I have to try, mom!" She protested and placed her hands there again.

"Aly… stop…" Her mother said and tried to move Alyss' hands away again, but failed.

"Listen Alyss… just… don't…" Lilith said, but her daughter shook her head again.

"Mom… I can't… I have to help you." Alyss said in a quivering voice.

"Use your semblance for others that'll need it… you'll just waste it on me…"

Alyss stopped and she started crying more than before as she tried to deny the truth. "M-mom… I-I don't want you to leave me…"

"It's alright Aly… I've lived my life… and I was able to watch you grow up and ignore all of that hate… You brought me peace and so much happiness. You were always my little cub, no matter how big or old you became," Lilith gave Alyss a weak smile, then placed her hand on her daughter's cheek, "You're my hero for that… I'm so proud of you. Please, be strong for your friends… I love you Aly…"

With those words, Alyss was left alone in the room.

Alyss hugged Lilith's body tightly and cried into her shoulder, letting it all out that she could. She stayed for nearly ten minutes, what seemed like an hour to her, gently sobbing and pressing her head against her mother's. When Alyss finally raised from her position, she had blood on her cheek and the side of her forehead from where Lilith's ears had been cut off.

"Bye… mom."

She gripped _Soul Leaf_ weakly in her hand and slowly walked from the room. The tears still fell from her emerald and sapphire eyes as she exited the front door and joined the others.

"Alyss…" Jace said and stepped toward her. His voice caught in his throat, and he swallowed the lump that had formed and wrapped her in a hug, "I'm s-sorry…" He said and his eyes started to fill with tears.

She didn't reply. She just hugged him back and stared blankly into his shoulder. The others held their heads down in silence for several moments.

"Alyss…" Auron spoke up and gained her attention, "What do you wanna do about _him_." He said and motioned over to the man kneeling on the ground, surrounded by the others.

She took one glance over to him and then looked away. "I never want to see him again…" She said and walked over to the vehicles.

Jace nodded to himself and walked over to the man, then materialized an ice dust dagger. He lifted the man up and dragged him to a nearby alleyway, then held him against a wall as the man looked at him and smirked.

"What're you gonna do, human?" He asked and Jace shook his head.

"What you almost did to her…" Jace said coldly and pressed the edge of the knife into one of his Faunus ears.

"W-wait! Don't-Ahh! STOP!" The man screamed as the knife bit into his ear.

Jace smacked his head into the wall and slashed the knife across, severing the ear. The man screamed again as Jace did the same to the other, then dropped him onto the ground.

He held his head in agony as the blood came from where his ears were, "You bastard! The Lance will hunt you down for this!"

Jace grabbed the collar of his vest and lifted him up, then stabbed him near the top of his stomach, drawing another scream from him.

"You have three choices. You can go back to them and work on your damn war. You can just leave and never work with them again. Or you can bleed out and die…" Jace said and threw him far down into the alley.

"I hope it's the last one… you deserve to burn."

He dematerialized the knife and walked from the alley looking like hell itself warred in him. He felt sick to his stomach as he realized what he did. Out of his anger, he had just took away a Faunus' animal appendage, what was considered their pride. It was frowned upon to even _touch_ their Faunus traits without express permission. It didn't matter that it was Alyss' father or what that man did, Jace looked at himself in horror. His eyes were cast down as he walked toward the group, and he leaned against the truck.

"You ready to go?" Auron asked lowly.

Jace nodded and walked silently toward _Titan_ and swung his leg over it. Then waited for Alyss.

"What did you do?" She asked him.

"What he did to her…" Jace replied and nearly vomited, "W-what he almost did to you…"

Alyss nodded slowly and took a deep breath as she understood what he meant, and her ears drooped down against her head. She didn't reply and got on _Titan_ behind Jace.

He feared the worst from the silence she gave him. _"Please… Please don't hate me."_ He thought to himself.

They looked up into the sky as another airship went down and crashed somewhere ahead of them. Jace sighed to himself and started driving toward it, followed by Auron.

* * *

Something was very wrong.

Jace and Auron stopped in the road and the group looked at what was happening. Atlesian Knights turned and fired at a large group of civilians and the human soldiers.

They went from their vehicles and ran toward the fighting to help. Jace fired _Siege Breaker_ and tore down multiple Knights before they turned their guns on them. Raine fired her arrows at the rest and brought down twelve, then slung _Amaranth_ on her back and drew her sword. She met them and cut their heads off as her aura protected her from the dust they fired. Auron launched himself forward with his semblance and met them head on, slicing at them with _Last Call_ and blasting others with his revolver. The others arrived at the area and Alyss spun her staff and sliced at four more Knights, then addressed to the civilians.

"Get to the docks! Hurry!" She yelled and they took the chance to get away.

Ashe used her spear and pulled herself up to the rooftops and fired down the road at multiple more rogue knights.

"Jace, launch me up to the rooftops!" Raine called and Jace took _Standoff_ and held the blade out.

Raine jumped on it and Jace launched her upward. She landed on the edge and brought out _Shagahod_ again, reloading it as she looked to where the civilians were heading.

"I'm gonna go with Ashe and make sure they get to the docks." Raine said and bolted across the rooftops with her fellow apprentice.

"Alright. We'll stay with them down here." Jace said and they started to run after the citizens of Vale.

"Get on all sides and keep them safe." He ordered and they separated.

Raine and Ashe kept the Knights in front of them far away, shooting them and destroying them easily. They started to notice Crimson Lance soldiers coming from an alleyway to attack them. Alyss heard a woman scream and she jumped in, blocking an attack from one of the soldiers, then knocked him away. She spun _Soul Leaf_ around and hammered the Faunus with a flurry of strikes, slicing him, bashing him with the blunt side, and shooting off rounds of ammunition to make her thrusts stronger.

Tyr slammed his blade into the ground and sent a shockwave of earth into a group of soldiers, then switched the grip of _Earthcutter_ and bashed all of them in their heads, knocking them out. Paige knocked the weapon's from their hand's easily and sent the his mace into their heads to deal with them. He yelled as he activated his semblance, growing a pair of ethereal arms to accompany his real ones as they held copies of his weapons. He sent his weapons in all directions at the Lance, the ethereal arms blocking and attacking those behind him as if they had a mind of their own.

Terra ran through and placed precise strikes at the temples of their heads and took a few down with little fuss before she was faced with six against her. She breathed through her nose as she dove forward, activating her semblance as well. Instead of her legs moving in blinding speed, it was her fists this time. She sent a blinding barrage of strikes to the Faunus and when one moved to hit her from the side, she switched focus to the attacker. She dealt with them all within ten seconds. She focused herself on keeping with the civilians as built-up steam was expelled from her gauntlets.

Jace grabbed a soldiers head and spun around, then tossed them forward and into the air. He ran with him and struck out hard with _Siege Breaker_ , dealing with him before turning toward two more. Auron used his semblance and sent multiple soldiers flying into the sides of buildings and used powerful strikes to push the others away from the civilians. He went to cut at another one, but one flew at him from the side and knocked him away with his large club.

The Faunus stood tall, over nine feet, and glared at Auron, then moved his hand over his chest.

"Karmine…" He growled as Auron realized who it was.

He still wore the armor from the day they fought. The black leg guards and chest armor, the gauntlets and the broken mask. There was a hole in the chestplate, revealing a scar on his chest from where Auron's blade pierced him.

"Kain? You should be fuckin' dead!" Auron yelled out at the Crimson Lance lieutenant.

Kain sent the chains from _Edgecrusher_ and swung them at Auron, who brought up a dust metal wall to block the attack.

"Get those people to the docks quick!" Auron called through his scroll.

Kain brought the chain around for another attack but Auron brought another wall up.

"What's happening?" Raine asked him.

"It's Kain!"

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: When the man comes around, there won't be a happy ending. The lyrics at the beginning are from Johnny Cash's song, _The Man Comes Around._ It fits the situation pretty well.**

 **Alyss is gonna have a hard time. She just lost her mom and now she has to keep fighting for her life. And Jace has to deal with the thought of what he did to her father.**

 **See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	42. Chapter 41: Resist and Bite

**Resist And Bite**

"Will you be alright?" Jace asked Auron.

"I should be! Just get 'em there!" Auron answered.

"Be careful, Auron." Raine said and they ran on.

"What is happening?" Tyr asked them as they led the civilians further.

"It's the Crimson Lance lieutenant," Jace answered with worry in his voice, "Auron fought him before."

"Shouldn't we help him?" Terra asked and glanced back behind them, "We can't let him fight the Lance lieutenant alone."

"It'll be alright," Jace assured them, "When we get them to the docks we'll go back and help."

More Knights came at them and attacked. The five of them met them head on and kept them back from the civilians as they fled. Jace took care of the three that attacked him and transformed _Siege Breaker,_ then fired on all that he saw in front of him until he ran out of rounds. He reloaded and sent out fire bolts from his hand while Alyss crippled more with _Soul Leaf_.

A Knight rushed them and tried to strike at Terra with a wild side cut with its sword, aimed to take her head off. She ducked under the blade and when it turned to face her, she sent her foot up in a side kick and struck its neck, then sent her left fist into its midsection with an uppercut, tearing out its circuitry and power core. Tyr stabbed _Earthcutter_ through the chest of a knight and pierced its core, then kicked it free and sent it into three more as it exploded and destroyed them. He sent his blade across and cut the arm off an attacking droid and blocked the strike from another. Paige buried the heavy ends of _Demolition_ into the heads of the two droids and turned to send his axe cleaving into the side of another, cleaving it in half. He sent his mace down into one's head and caved it in, then kicked it over.

Raine looked ahead and saw the docks in the distance without her semblance. "We're almost there! Keep running!"

The civilians needed no order to run for their lives. They ran past an alleyway while a couple dozen more Knights came from behind them. The group of students turned to face them as they came for them.

Multiple cloaked figures rose from the rooftops and fired upon the metal soldiers with bows, assault rifles, and combat rifles. All silenced. The droids went down in the surprise attack, all within seconds.

Jace looked up and waved at their help as one jumped down. "Are you all alright?" Vivi asked as she ran up toward them.

"Yeah, we're good, but we need to go help Auron." Jace answered.

"Where is he?" Vivi asked and looked back down the street.

Raine jumped from the rooftop and ran up to them. "He's back down the road fighting the Crimson Lance lieutenant."

"Did you get 'em to the docks?" The heard Auron ask through the scroll.

"Yeah, they're here. We're coming back." Jace answered.

"Good. 'Cause there's some damn Grimm comin' closer."

"We need to go help him." Raine said and looked down the road in worry.

"Right. Vaas! Come with me!" Vivi called and the Ranger jumped from the buildings.

Vaas Helms was six feet and one inch in height. He sported a short brown mohawk and goatee with dark brown eyes. Under the usual Ranger cloak, he wore brown cargo pants, a red T-shirt, and two belts on his waist and one on his left thigh. Each belt had a different item. One double-edged longsword that was as wide as a standard claymore with no tip. The crossguard was in the shape of a dragon's wing and the head of a dragon at its pommel. There was another longsword on the same side, this one with a longer and thinner blade with the crossguard going outward and curved upward. In the pommel of it was a beautifully cut amethyst. The belt on his thigh held a large, wide, and straight-bladed knife with the blade reaching all the way to the pommel, acting as a handguard as there was a long slot in it for his hand to hold. Next to the knife was a quiver for his bolts. In his hands was a large crossbow with a handle to grab and pull back to pull the string along with it.

"Are you sure you want to come with us? Wouldn't you be able to help out more here?" Raine asked.

Another two Rangers came from the rooftop. "With what happened yesterday…" Raine looked and grinned at the one who spoke, "We came over as fast as we could. As a precaution."

"Emowyn? Erron? How did you get here?" Raine asked and hugged her sister.

"Rangers have access to some very fast airships. Now, we need to help Auron." Erron said and reloaded _Frostbite_.

"We have more than enough Rangers to hold the docks against the Grimm, Fang, Lance, and these rogue droids. Let's go!" Vivi called and the group of eleven ran down the road.

"So you're Jace Reznor?" Emowyn asked and turned her head to Jace.

"Yeah, I am. Dad went with you on a mission awhile back."

"Haile… he was a good guy. I was sad to hear what happened to him." Emowyn said with a sigh.

Jace held his head down. "Thanks for having his back."

"Don't mention it." Emowyn said and hesitated, "And you're one of the two that escaped that facility a while back?"

"Yeah. That'd be me."

"I'm sorry you had to go through all of that."

Jace sighed to himself. "I wish Genesis was here to help."

* * *

Auron blocked a strike from Kain's club with his armguard, then sliced at the giant's gut. He backed away as Kain swung at him again, just missing Auron's head. He closed the distance again and struck out at Kain's legs, trying to stun him. Kain sent his fist and struck Auron in the face, spinning him around in a circle. Auron came back around and used a shot from _Last Call_ to send his blade hard into Kain's gut, causing him to step back from the force.

"You are going to join your father!" Kain yelled and sent out a blast of energy with his semblance, knocking Auron into the side of a building.

Auron landed on the ground and went to a knee. As Kain walked up to him, he launched himself forward with a pillar and struck out hard at Kain's torso and blasted him with his revolver. He sent out six more shots with the revolver and thrusted forward with _Last Call_ , scoring a direct blow to Kain's left thigh. The force sent Kain's leg from under him and he bent forward trying to balance himself. Auron drove his knee into his jaw and raised the giant back up. Kain growled in anger and brought _Edgecrusher_ down hard in a downward arc. The studded club made contact with Auron's right shoulder with bone-crushing force, sending Auron to his knees. Kain reared his club back and roared as he sent it flying into Auron's side, sending him back into the side of the same building.

Auron rose to his feet and Kain smashed his body into the building with a straight kick to his gut. He gasped for breath as Kain grabbed his face and leaned in close to him. "It's time to pay you what is owed." He growled and stepped back, bringing his club up in the air. Auron pulled his revolver up, fighting the pain in his shoulder, and blasted both barrels into Kain's face, blinding him and giving Auron a chance to recover.

He yelled and dove forward, driving his sword into Kain's gut as he was stunned. A Beowulf ran up to them and dove toward them. Kain roared and used his semblance again, blasting both Auron and the Grimm away.

Auron landed on his feet and was quickly surrounded by Beowulves. He focused himself and blocked a swipe by one, then sliced its arm off. He blocked another attack with his sword and shot that Grimm in the head. He fired a shot from _Last Call_ and used the recoil to spin in a wide arc, cutting the heads off multiple Beowulves before he was struck by the heavy chains of Kain's flail and was sent flying backward.

Auron rose to his feet and blocked the next attack, then ran back toward Kain.

More Grimm showed up to attack them both, but were quickly killed by a volley of arrows and gunshots.

"About damn time…" Auron said and took a deep breath.

"We got your back Auron! Take care of Kain!" Jace called and blasted through the other Grimm with _Siege Breaker_.

"Thanks!" Auron called back and ran toward Kain again.

"You think your friends will save you?" Kain asked mockingly and brought _Edgecrusher_ around for a powerful blow that Auron ducked under.

"They're just here to make sure it stays me an' you!" Auron yelled at him and stabbed _Last Call_ forward.

Kain knocked the blade to the side and struck Auron in the side with his club. It sent Auron to the ground a few feet away, he raised up only to be struck again in the face. Auron landed on the ground again and Kain was already there. The giant rained down heavy strikes, keeping Auron on the ground and not able to do anything.

"Pathetic!" Kain growled and stopped attacking, "You will die here! Just like your father died by my brother's hands!" He brought his club up and aimed for Auron's head.

Auron sent aura into the ground and caused a dust metal pillar to send Kain into the air like before, when Kain took those precious few seconds to have the last word.

Auron jumped to his feet and launched himself after Kain with another pillar. He met the giant in the air and hit him with a barrage of recoil-powered strikes, letting loose the rest of his rounds and causing Kain's chestplate to crack and shatter. Auron used the last strike to send the giant into the side of a building.

As Auron landed, Kain fell to the ground with his back against the wall, with numerous cuts and gashes across his chest and stomach. Auron walked up to him and didn't hesitate as he stabbed Kain through the chest.

"Rot in hell." Auron said and unloaded both barrels of his revolver into Kain's head, finally putting an end to him.

Auron rested against the wall while his team, APCT, and the Rangers dealt with the remainder of the Grimm. He took the time and reloaded the last of his shells into _Last Call_ and his revolvers, then he took Kain's mask and tied it to the back of his belt to show Preacher when he saw him again. He caught his breath and walked into the street.

"Never thought I'd get to fight with you two again." Auron said and nodded to Erron and Emowyn.

"Strange times, isn't it?" Emowyn replied and smiled at him.

"You guys got here just in time," Auron started and held his side where it had been hit hard, "I wouldn't have been able to focus on Kain an' deal with the Grimm."

"Vivi, Tyr," Jace said and got the cat Faunus and the warrior's attention, "We're gonna head back to Beacon and help out there."

"We should go too." Tyr responded.

"I think you should stay and help at the docks," Jace said and saw four mouths open to protest, "Look, I'd like for you guys to be helping us there too because all of you are really good fighters. But Paige's eye is still bandaged up and they're gonna need help at the docks too," He saw Paige hold his head down and sigh, "I honestly don't think Paige should even be out fighting in the streets with his eye like that."

Tyr looked through his team and saw them slowly nod their heads in agreement. He sighed and reached his hand out. "Very well. Do not hesitate to call if you need help."

Jace took his hand and shook it firmly. "If we need it, I'll call. Stay safe."

"Alright. We'll spread out and search for any more survivors," Vivi shook Jace's hand as well and nodded, then she hugged Raine, "Team JKDW, Raine, stay safe. This one hopes to see you again."

"You too, Vivi," Raine said and turned to her sister, "See you later Emowyn. It was good to see you again." She hugged her sister with a sigh.

"You too Raine. Love you."

"Love you too."

* * *

They ran for what seemed like forever trying to make it back to their vehicles. They were met with a large amount of Grimm and were forced to fight through them all. Jace fired the last two magazines of _Siege Breaker_ into them, taking down a fair amount of them before he transformed it back into its axe form. Alyss had _Soul Leaf_ in its submachine gun form and shot in short bursts at their heads and chests, catching some on fire with her burn rounds. When they got close to her, she stabbed forward and slashed with her bayonet, and brought out _Atronach_ as well to kill a few more.

Raine dodged their strikes from all sides and slashed out with her sword and knife, slicing heads off of Beowulves and stabbing through the hearts of Creeps. Auron slashed outward with _Last Call_ and took off the heads of three Beowulves and lodged it in the neck of an Ursa Major. He fired off a shot and used the recoil to carry it the rest of the way through. He spun around and stabbed a Creep through the chest as it jumped at him, then he slung it into a Beowulf near him.

They fought on and killed the Grimm with minimal injuries, which were quickly taken care of by Alyss. They ran on and on through the streets, never seeming to get closer to their vehicles.

"You holding up okay, Alyss?" Jace asked his girlfriend.

"I-I don't know…" She answered quietly.

"Alyss… You're a strong girl. You can get through this." He replied to her and the group kept running.

"Hey! Looking for me?"

Jace heard the call from behind and he stopped in his tracks. He turned around and his mouth twitched into a scowl.

"Emerald…" He said and got a laugh from her.

"So you actually figured out it was me that helped out Grigori? Too bad for you it won't matter." She said with a smirk, twirling one of her hand-scythes around by the chain.

Jace yelled and launched himself at her, activating his semblance and moving himself forward with bolt dust. He got to her quickly before she could do anything and struck out at her, cleaving her down and coming to a stop past her. He turned around, ready to fight her, but he stared in confusion at what he saw. Or rather what he didn't see.

She was gone.

Jace looked around the area for her, looking high and low but found no trace of her anywhere. He realized she had given him an illusion of herself and he sighed in anger.

"Jace… what's wrong?" Alyss asked him when they walked back to him.

"Emerald… She made me see and illusion of her… Oum damn it."

"We need to get goin'." Auron said and they walked on.

They stopped in their tracks when they felt the ground quake.

"What in the burning hells is that?" Jace asked as another quake moved the ground.

A few moments later, they heard an earth-shattering roar. They looked to the sky and went wide eyed as they saw a dragon flying through the air, circling Beacon Tower.

"What in the hell is going on?" Jace said and stared at the Grimm.

"I suppose that is the human's plan, then." They heard from behind them.

They turned and readied their weapons, unsure of who was speaking and if they were an enemy. Auron's sharp intake of breath and growl of anger let them know that it was an enemy.

"Hawk!" Auron growled and stood ready, "I'm gonna make you pay for what you did to dad!"

"It seems that I may deal with two of my problems. I finally found my escaped prisoner, and now I know your face." Hawk said and laughed, seeming to ignore Auron.

"So you're the one who started those experiments?" Jace asked and held his axe tightly.

"Yes, that's true. But the results didn't interest me as they did Grigori. He wanted to make warriors capable of using dust in _every_ way imaginable, while I merely wanted to see what the body would do to withstand dust infusion and DNA mixing," Hawk looked at Jace and grinned, "I wished to see if they would adapt," He pointed toward Jace, "Or perish." He finished and looked at the hilt of _Standoff._

"All those families Grigori tore apart was just so you can see what a body can take!?" Jace yelled the question and felt his anger rising fast, "What about the Faunus that were there!? Aren't you supposed to be _helping_ them!?"

Hawk nodded and chuckled at them, ignoring the question. "It looks like you're the only one that adapted."

"Jace, don't let him get to you." Alyss said to hopefully calm him.

"But what of that other escaped prisoner? It seems that he proved too weak."

That was Jace's breaking point.

Jace yelled in rage and bolted forward. He poured his aura into his semblance and something changed. He felt something on his back that propelled him forward along with the dust inside him. He saw the look of curiosity on the face of Hawk as he cleaved at the Crimson Lance leader. Hawk blocked the strike with his large shield and struck back with his sword. Jace blocked it, but the blade cut through the haft of _Siege Breaker_ , cutting it in two and leaving his weapon useless.

Jace dropped it and materialized a bolt dust claymore and struck out, hitting Hawk's shield and drawing a laugh from him.

"So this is what your body did to adapt!" He exclaimed and bashed at Jace with his shield.

Jace went for an overhand cut, using one hand to swing the sword and the other to blast a fire bolt at Hawk. It stunned the Faunus enough for Jace to cut him on the shoulder. He sent another blast of fire into Hawk's face and sliced toward his throat. Hawk move out of the way and sent his greatsword down on Jace. He blocked and directed the blade to the side as his anger kept growing within him. He lashed out toward Hawk's throat again and again but Hawk dodged every attempt. Jace yelled and thrusted forward with the dustblade. Hawk dodged the predictable strike and smacked Jace in the side with the flat of his blade, then bashed him with his tower shield.

He fell to his knee and Hawk readied another swing. Jace bolted forward and slashed out against him as he brought sword up for the attack. Jace's blade caught the Faunus in the gut and sent him flying into the side of a building. Jace rushed toward him and went for another side slash, Hawk dodged and Jace's sword bit deep into the building.

He let go as Hawk bashed him with his shield again, driving him deeper into anger. He made a wider bolt claymore and blocked a heavy slash from Hawk. Hawk brought his shield in front of himself as Jace kept swinging his sword. With every swing, more and more aura poured into Jace's blade from his anger. Gashes started to form in the shield as Jace rained down hits on it. He yelled and swung his blade with more power as his aura kept flowing into it. As it made contact, the shield started to give. The heavy flow of Jace's aura into the dustblade caused the frequency of the bolt dust to rise to dangerously high levels, making the edge of it _hum_ as it vibrated at lightning speeds. The vibrations sheared through the shield and Hawk looked in shock as it fell from his grasp. He shook himself and kicked a Jace with the sole of his boot, knocking him back.

Jace was seething in rage as he sent his blade for him again. He swung his sword with all his strength and this time the bear Faunus swung his as well. The blades struck, sending bright-yellow sparks flying from them both. Jace spun around and used the momentum to slice at Hawk's side as he brought his blade around to block. When Jace's sword struck it, it was cut in half and the Crimson Lance leader was left with nothing.

Hawk started laughing harshly at Jace. "You have adapted well. But I know your face now, Storm," Hawk said and raised one hand in the air, "You will both pay for the death of my brother. It will be slow… just as it was for Karmine."

A bullhead flew by and Hawk grabbed a rope that was hanging from it and was taken off, away from them. Jace almost ran after it before he felt a soft hand grip his shoulder. "Jace, don't chase him." Alyss said and calmed him down.

"Yeah… I-" Jace deactivated his semblance. He fell to his knee from exhaustion and noticed white feathers blowing and disintegrating in the wind. "I won't."

Auron and Raine walked up to them quickly. "Jace… what was that?" Raine asked in wonder at what she saw.

"I just… fought Hawk, and I cut his sword and shield in half…" Jace said and let the claymore disintegrate.

Auron shook his head. "That ain't it. You activated your semblance an' you just… grew a pair of silver wings."

"I… I what?"

Alyss looked down and saw a feather, then bent down to pick it up. She handed him the feather and he looked at it in confusion, then it disintegrated into his hand.

"Did my semblance evolve?" Jace asked out loud and shook his head, "Or was that just because of those fucking experiments?"

"Look, you can think on it later. We need to go." Auron said and Jace nodded slowly, then they walked on.

Jace thought solely to himself as they walked toward their destination. Along with activating his semblance, he apparently grew a set of wings. The mention of it shook him to his core. For all he knew, it could very well be an evolution of his semblance, but another reason could be it was caused by any dormant Grimm DNA in him, a thought that made him absolutely sick to his stomach. That was impossible though, as he had never even been implanted with a Grimm's DNA. He even had doctors make absolute sure. But he started to think. What if the journal had lied? What if the doctors didn't spot any?

Jace's mind started to race with horrifying thoughts. What would be next after the wings? A large set of jagged teeth? Spikes? Bone plating? Claws? His mind was clouded with those impossibilities. He looked at his right hand and felt two pressures in his back.

One thing he wouldn't think about, with his mind clouded as it was, was the possibility that it was from the Faunus DNA. Very rarely, a man or woman would be born with bird wings and maybe Grigori planted that DNA into him. His mind wouldn't drift from the other path though, and he stared into the sky.

 _"What even am I anymore?"_

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: Well would you look at that, Kain was still alive. That's why Auron's truck door was ripped off. Auron got a little bit of revenge by finally killing him.**

 **And Emerald tricked Jace before she got out of the city. And then Jace came face to face with the man that was truly behind his kidnapping. I think that with Jace's anger, then he would've put out a lot more aura through the sword than what he should've. That, coupled with his semblance, is a recipe for exhaustion. I don't really know what to say about the wings. There's still a few unknowns about those experiments.**

 **The next chapter is the last bit of the battle. See you then, and have a nice day!**


	43. Chapter 42: Sacrifice

**Sacrifice**

Team JKDW glanced in the sky and saw General Ironwood's warship start to crash towards the ground. Jace didn't pay too much attention to it. With how his mind was at the moment, he couldn't focus on much of anything. He started feeling a harsh pain kick up in his left arm and gritted his teeth against it. All he could do was wait for the pain to stop.

"Jace, you okay?" Auron asked and they stopped.

"Honestly… no, not really." Jace answered lowly and held his prosthetic closer to his body.

"Is your arm giving you trouble?" Raine asked.

Jace looked at his left arm and nodded, "That… and about earlier… I just can't keep my mind off of it."

"Well let's take a break. Figure out what the fuck to do." Auron said and shook his head. He removed his hat and wiped sweat from his brow.

"What exactly is it that's bothering you?" Raine asked Jace.

Jace sighed and looked down. "It's just… what Hawk said about the experiments… I'm worried that after those fucking wings… something else will happen," He shook his head, "No… I'm not worried. I'm fucking terrified."

"Come on Jace, it was probably just your semblance." Raine tried to assure him.

"But what if it wasn't!?" Jace snapped and immediately looked back down, holding his head in his hands, "What if it wasn't just my semblance? What if next time I use it, it's spikes or claws or just something horrible because of that Oum-damned DNA?" He finished in a quiet and fearful voice.

"You told us what the journal said though. You ain't supposed to have any Grimm DNA in you," Auron said and put his hand on Jace's shoulder, "What if it's something else?"

"But what if it lied? What if it lied and I'm just gonna turn into a damn monster? I just don't know…" Jace replied and shook his head in worry, "I already did one thing I hate myself for… If I turn into some Grimm, What if I hurt someone I love?"

Alyss walked forward and wrapped him in a hug. "Jace… please don't lose yourself to this… Just… please."

Jace stayed in her embrace for a long minute, letting his mind calm as much as it could to allow him to muster some bit of focus. His mind eased more and more and he started to breath calmly.

"Th-thanks Alyss. I think I'm good now." Jace said and they separated.

A few seconds later, they heard the roar of the ancient Grimm in the sky, galvanizing them into action. "Let's go!" Auron said and they ran on

* * *

"Jace! Look out!" Raine yelled toward Jace.

Jace materialized a longsword of burn dust and turned around, meeting the huge paw of an Ursa hitting him in the face. He fell and struck the ground hard. He was dazed as the Ursa stood over him, opening its mouth and revealing its teeth. Auron sliced through the beast's neck and took Jace's hand, lifting him straight to his feet.

"Thanks Auron." Jace said and struck at a Beowulf that came at them, managing to pierce its chest. With how his prosthetic was at the moment after he used his semblance, it was nearly locked up and he was only left with using a smaller dustblade, something he had no practice in.

Auron simply nodded and stood at Jace's back. He swung his sword and cleaved into the head of a Beowulf, then kicked it free and shot two Creeps with his revolver.

Alyss was struck in the back by a Beowulf, knocking her off balance and into the strike of the one she faced. Her head struck the ground hard and blood started to come from her head, mixing with the dried blood of her mother that was still on her face. Raine jumped over to her and blocked the next swipe from the Beowulf and struck back, cutting its arm off. It struck with its other arm an she stabbed through it with her knife, then she sliced her sword across its neck. She turned and flipped her knife in her hand, grabbing the blade, and threw it toward the Beowulf standing over Alyss. The knife struck it between the eyes and Raine ran over to help Alyss up.

"You okay?" She asked when Alyss got other feet.

"Just a bit winded… I'll be good." Alyss replied and prepared herself.

Raine sheathed her sword into _Shagahod_ and brought out _Amaranth_. She started firing off her arrows into the heads of the Grimm she saw, killing twelve with all her arrows. She focused her aura into her hand and called them back, then dodged a Creep that jumped toward her. She brought out her sword again and stabbed it in the chest.

Paying no attention to the worries in his mind, Jace activated his semblance and made the fire of his dustblade flare brightly. He quickly extended the blade with his left hand and held it with both now that he had the fluidity back in his prosthetic. He flew through multiple Grimm, striking at them and setting some on fire, cutting through them with burning rage. He planted his foot to the ground and spun, slashing his sword and sending out a wave of fire all around him that bit into the Grimm that now surrounded him.

Raine fired off her arrows again, hitting her marks and causing the assault to stop. They looked around for more Grimm, but found none. Jace deactivated his semblance and the team walked on, eventually making it to their vehicles. They took a moment to rest and figure out what to do.

"I'm seriously tired guys… My semblance now is just… too damn much…" Jace said and took a knee. He breathed heavily as he tried to catch his breath.

"We need to get back up to Beacon," Raine said as she leaned against Auron's truck, looking up to the tower, "They're probably having a rough time up there with all of this."

"Is everyone alright?" Jace asked.

"I… I'm alright." Alyss answered quietly but it wasn't completely true.

"Sore, but I'm good." Auron said.

"I'm fine." Raine answered and slipped off her hood for a moment.

"Okay. Listen, we need-" Jace's words were cut short when a rocket locker slammed in the ground a short ways away.

"What the hell?" He said in confusion.

"Let's go see what it is." Auron suggested and they ran over.

It took them a minute to reach the locker and what they stared at drew them all into confusion. "Jaune!?" Jace said in disbelief and got the blonde teen's attention.

"Jace! Guys! Please, someone has to help her!" Jaune yelled and stood quickly.

"Slow down now," Auron said and grabbed Jaune's shoulder, "Help who?"

"Pyrrha! She doesn't stand a chance against her!" Jaune said and broke from Auron's grip.

"Against who? What are you saying?" Raine asked.

"The woman who caused all of this!" Jaune said and everyone looked at each other.

"Where is she?" Jace asked and took _Standoff_ from his back.

"The tower… we have to hurry…" Jaune answered and held his head down, then pulled out his scroll.

"Auron… if you can, get _Titan_ in the back of your truck," Jace said and flared his semblance, "Either get to the docks or get to Beacon to help the others." He glanced behind himself and saw the wings for the first time and sighed.

"Jace… what happened?" Jaune asked and stared at his wings in wonder.

Jace sighed and looked at him. "Honestly… I have no fucking idea."

"What are you planning to do?" Alyss asked with worry.

Jace looked at her and sighed again. "What I promised I'd do."

Jace jumped high into the air by sending air dust through his legs and feet, then the wings propelled him toward his destination.

Beacon Tower.

"Jace!" Alyss called for him and could only stare as he went.

"Weiss! You have to help Pyrrha!" Jaune said through his scroll to Weiss.

"She went to fight that woman! Please help her! She can't win against her!" Jaune pleaded. He screamed in anger and fear and threw his scroll to the ground.

"Shit! Everyone get ready!" Auron called as Grimm started to come near them.

"Please help her…" Jaune whispered and stood ready with _Crocea Mors_.

* * *

Jace used any type of dust in him to make himself fly faster in the air. He heard the call from Alyss but just went straight for the tower.

"I'll make it back, Alyss…" He whispered to himself and focused the air dust to his wings.

A Nevermore noticed him and started to fly toward his way, opening its beak up to snatch him out of the air. Jace held _Standoff_ ready and dodged the Grimm, then sliced at its wing and severed it, sending the Nevermore spiraling to the ground below.

He continued on and made it halfway to the tower before the top of it collapsed and broke apart. The Dragon circled it and roared again, the sound making Jace grit his teeth. He looked down below and saw the other students battling Grimm and rogue Atlesian Paladins, but were slowly being overcome by everything.

Jace closed his eyes and hoped they would be alright, then tried pushing himself faster to the tower.

* * *

Jaune ducked and blocked a strike with his shield, then cut the head off of the Ursa that attacked him. He turned and blocked another strike, then pushed back against the Beowulf with his shield. He stabbed his sword forward and pierced its chest and heart.

Auron kept a large amount of Grimm at bay with his revolvers, blasting them back until he ran out of rounds in all twenty four chambers. He took out eighteen in his assault and holstered them, then brought out _Last Call_ once again. He had it in its rifle form and blasted the last rounds out of it, killing seven more, then was only left with his sword. He swung the blade to the side and caught a Creep in the throat. Before he brought _Last Call_ back around, a Beowulf swiped its claw upwards at him, catching his cheek and sending his hat from his head.

"Aw God damn it." He growled and thrusted his sword into the Grimm's mouth.

Raine jumped and landed on the back of an Ursa, causing a Beowulf to charge and hit it as she jumped away from it. She brought out _Shagahod_ and started to fire the last two magazines into the Grimm's numbers. She took down twenty with all of her rounds and brought her sword out to strike out at an Ursa's exposed neck.

Alyss twisted and stabbed _Soul Leaf_ into the face of a Beowulf, then pulled it out and cut at another one that struck at her. The blade went into its paw and she pulled it back out, then she fired off a gravity round that propelled her staff into the Beowulf's chest. She turned the blunt end of her staff to the other Grimm and started firing at them, weakening them and killing some.

It seemed to the group that the amount of Grimm they fought was never-ending.

* * *

The Dragon soared past Jace as he grew closer and closer to the tower. He was growing more tired by the second and his vision started to fade. The fact that he wanted to pay his friend back was the only thing keeping him from fainting in the sky.

He was so close he could see the fight between Pyrrha and Cinder, only able to make out the flashes of the fire that Cinder sent out. A Griffon flew towards him and Jace sent a fireball of his own at its face. It blinded it and sent it spiraling toward the ground.

Jace was extremely tired as he came within a hundred feet from the top of the tower. He tried to push himself harder as he saw what was taking place.

He saw Pyrrha on her knees and Cinder standing over her. Then Cinder materialized a bow out of nothing and aimed the arrow at Pyrrha's heart.

Jace was fifty feet away when Cinder released the arrow.

"NOOO!" He yelled as Cinder started stepping toward Pyrrha.

She put her hand to Pyrrha's cheek as Jace finally arrived and struck out as hard as he could with _Standoff_ and sent her toward the far side of the ruined office with the momentum. He panted frantically for breath as he stood up as straight as he could.

"Hmm… who are you now?" Cinder asked as she recovered from the attack.

Jace didn't answer and stood between her and Pyrrha, who was now laying on the ground.

"Another pawn… you will not stop us." Cinder said plainly and threw a fireball at Jace.

Jace blocked it with _Standoff_ and charged lethargically at Cinder. He sliced slowly and tiredly at her multiple times but she evaded every attack.

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about…" Jace said and sent out a wave of energy at her, actually striking her and knocking her back a very small bit, "But you're attacking my home… and my friends. I don't give a damn about your goals."

"You would do well in never stepping in the way of destiny." Cinder said and sent a hellish beam of fire toward Jace.

Jace planted _Standoff_ in the ground and crouched behind it. The searing heat completely drained his little-remaining aura and made him deactivate his semblance. It also burned his sleeve off revealing his arm to her.

"A prosthetic arm? It looks like you've already done that before." Cinder said and sent a large fireball at him, which knocked him back toward the edge of the tower.

Jace came to a stop and held his sword ready. "You can take your destiny… and you can burn in hell." He breathed out and charged at her.

She stopped him in his tracks with a pulse of fire. "No… I will not be the one burning," She said and knocked him back toward the edge of the tower.

"You will all fall."

She gathered her energy and sent a huge blast of fire toward him, searing his skin, hair, and most of his outfit, sending him flying over the edge of the tower.

Time seemed to slow as Jace fell. He saw Cinder standing over the edge watching him fall before she turned and disappeared. He hoped that someone would actually be able to save Pyrrha where he failed. And he knew he failed miserably as tears spilled from his eyes. He hoped that all of the people he met, all of his friends, would beat back the Grimm. He hoped that Alyss was alright.

He hoped he would be able to see her again.

That last hope didn't seem likely as he plummeted to the ground below. With no aura left, he would surely not survive the fall. Jace looked to his right and saw white glyphs appear along the side of the tower. He fell further down and caught sight of Ruby running up the tower by the glyphs. She noticed him and went wide eyed, then tried to propel herself faster up the tower.

Jace was so close to the ground now. He noticed that he wasn't holding _Standoff_ and he almost cried out in grief. The Dragon landed on top of the tower as a blindingly bright light flashed and lit up the sky around the tower. Jace saw it and hoped it was one of those Angels arriving to help Pyrrha.

Everything went black as he struck the ground.

* * *

Jaune, Auron, Raine and Alyss stood in a tight circle as the Grimm surrounded them. They fought with everything they had, but these numbers were too much for them to take on alone. An Alpha Beowulf jumped toward them and extended its claws. The group readied themselves for it and waited for it to get closer.

All of a sudden, it was torn in half.

They looked around and saw a grey and black-clad figure cutting through the Grimm with a large scythe, then they noticed Grimm flying away from the area.

The beasts that were focused on the group were now distracted with the other threat and took their attention away.

A wall of fire erupted into the Grimm and they caught sight of Cardin of all people, fighting as hard as he could, bashing the Grimms' skulls in and sending them flying into each other. Then the rest of his team charged in and cut the Grimm down. Sky swung his halberd and caught multiple Creeps with it, sending them flying away. Russell moved as best as he could, quickly stabbing his daggers into the Grimms' skulls and eyes when the opportunity arose. Dove fired dust rounds at them and thrusted his blade forward into their chests.

"Come on! Let's finish this!" Auron called and they ran toward the Grimm.

They struck out and killed many that had their backs turned to them. Auron used his semblance and sent multiple Grimm flying away with multiple pillars, even impaling some. Alyss ran by and stabbed out toward their chests. Raine cut down multiple Grimm by decapitating them. Jaune was able to do the same and bashed them with his shield as well.

Even more help came when volleys of arrows and silent gunshots came down onto the Grimm, the amount killing a large portion of them. The numbers finally started to slow and they fought them a little easier. With the added help of constant arrows and bullets, the group of students were finally allowed to rest.

As the last of the Grimm were killed, Auron, Raine, Alyss and Jaune sat on the ground and rested their tired limbs.

"You kids got yourself into a mess didn't ya?" Qrow said and came up to them.

"Yeah… we definitely did…" Raine answered and breathed deeply.

"It's good we found you when we did." Raine's sister said and went to her.

"Emowyn… Erron… it's damn good to see you again," Auron said and wiped sweat from his brow.

"An' Cardin, I'd tip my hat to ya, but I lost it." Auron said in annoyance.

A few moments later, Cardin stood in front of Auron with a hat in his hand, or what remained of a hat.

"Thanks…" Auron took the remnants of it and dropped it on the ground.

The large boy reached his hand out. The larger boy took it and Cardin helped him to his feet. He went by and helped the others to their feet as well. Alyss and Raine reluctantly accepted, givien how they heard how Cardin was about Faunus. But they saw his eyes widened by the events of the night and he or his team didn't give any remarks.

Ironwood looked around in worry. He saw Jace's team standing and resting, but he didn't see his former student anywhere. "Where is Jace?"

Jaune's head bolted up immediately. "General! Ozpin needs your help! That woman got into the vault!"

"What!?" Ironwood yelled out and looked to the tower.

"Pyrrha went to stop her and Jace went to help! We have to go now!" Jaune pleaded.

"Glynda! Qrow! We-" A blinding light from the tower stopped him from continuing and they saw a strange but welcome sight.

The Grimm Dragon appeared to be frozen on top of the tower.

"Ruby… Hold on kid." Qrow said and ran off.

"All of you listen to me," Ironwood said and gained the teens' attention, "All of you need to get to the docks. Rangers, make sure they get there safely."

"Right… Raine, Auron, all of you come on." Emowyn said and the group nodded slowly.

"I'm goin' with the General." Auron said suddenly.

Erron walked forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Auron, you need to-"

"What I _need_ to do is go see if Jace an' Pyrrha are alright. I ain't leavin' until I know." Auron said and held his ground.

"I doubt we'll be able to change your mind," Emowyn said and Auron shook his head firmly, "Alright then, but be careful. Preacher and Kathy would have our heads if something happened to you while we're here."

"I'll watch it. Take my truck, try an' get _Titan_ in the back like Jace said earlier an' get to the docks. If you can't get the bike in the back, roll it there." Auron said and started to follow the General.

"I'm going too." Jaune said and started after Auron. He stopped and waited for Jaune.

"Are you sure?" Emowyn asked, not wanting to get into an argument with the boy.

Jaune nodded his head firmly. "I have to make sure Pyrrha's okay."

"Alright. Raine, Alyss, CRDL, let's go." Emowyn ordered.

"Auron…" Alyss started and he turned around.

"What is it?"

"Please… make sure he's alright." She said with tears in her eyes.

"You got it, now get on outta here," Auron grinned a bit and gave her a light hug, "An' clean yourself up. You don't want him to see you like that, do you?"

She shook her head numbly as she hugged him back. "N-no… I don't think I do."

* * *

The group lost sight of Qrow as they made it back to Beacon. They ran through the courtyard past the other students, who were able to rest after the light from the tower drove back the Grimm. Nora and Ren caught sight of Jaune and ran to meet him. They all ran to the tower as fast as they could.

What they saw was enough to make them all stop and recoil in shock.

Jace laid on the ground with his sword impaling his side to the concrete. A quarter of the sword's width was in his body while most of it was faced outward. Most of the top part of his outfit was seared off along with the bottom part of his pants. His hair was burned short as well along with being covered in burns on his chest, face, and arm.

"Fuck! Jace!" Auron yelled and ran to him.

He was still breathing, only barely though. Auron looked at where the blade went into Jace and stared in confusion at the lack of blood pooling around the area. He hesitated, then tried to move Jace away from the sword. He worked as gently as he could with Jace, trying to nudge his body further and further apart from the sword.

While Auron worked with Jace, Glynda, Ironwood and Jaune went toward the tower.

"Pyrrha went to the office after her." Jaune said and looked up toward the top.

"No… where is Ozpin?" Glynda asked in worry. At the corner of their eyes, they saw Qrow walking up to them from around the corner of the tower with Ruby in his arms.

And Pyrrha's circlet in his hand.

"No…" Jaune said and rushed over to Qrow. Qrow laid Ruby on the ground softly as Jaune stared at him in fear. Qrow looked up to him and shook his head, holding the circlet out to him.

"No… N-no, Pyrrha…" Jaune choked out and took hold of the bronze-gold accessory. He fell to his knees and clutched it to his chest as tears streamed from his eyes.

Auron finally separated Jace from his sword and stared in complete disbelief as the large wound closed itself. It was very confusing to watch until he saw green aura transfer between the sword and Jace. He shook his head and went to pull Jace's sword from the ground for him. He tried, but it was completely stuck. The sword didn't budge an inch even when Auron pulled with all the strength he could summon. He sighed and hesitated. He didn't know whether he should keep trying or just go. He sighed again and shook his head, then walked toward the others.

He met up with them and started to speak. "Jace is gonna need a doctor, fast. What…" He stopped when he noticed how everyone was standing silently around Jaune. He was on his knees, sobbing silently as he held onto something. Auron's voice caught in his throat when he saw the color.

"Pyrrha…" Auron got out and the others looked to him. Jaune looked and held the circlet out more clearly for him to see. Auron felt his eyes sting hard as he stared at it. "No! Oum No!" He yelled and clenched his eyes shut. He fell to his knees and held his head in his hands as his own tears fell from his eyes. "Not her…"

"Why'd it have to be you…"

"I'll signal for an airship to come and get us." Ironwood said quietly and loaded a special round into his pistol.

He fired it into the air and it flared brightly. A few moments later, the _Ravensword_ flew overhead and landed in the courtyard. The more wounded were taken onboard first, then the rest of the students followed.

The airship set off and the Battle of Beacon was over.

* * *

 _"And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts. And I looked and behold a pale horse. And the name that sat on him was Death._

 _And Hell followed with him."_

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: Who thought that Jace was gonna save her? As I said, only minor things have changed. I did originally plan for it to happen, but I'm not going back on my word. But he did try, I wanted him to try. Jace knew he had the means to get there, no matter how hard it was for him. He wanted keep his promise of helping if he could, and he tried his best. It just wasn't good enough.**

 **Lyrics at the end of this chapter are from the same Johnny Cash song. I wanted that to continue and wrap up the battle.**

 **See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	44. Chapter 43: The Sands of Time

**The Sands of Time**

 _"It seems we're so invincible…. The truth is so cold."_

* * *

The group arrived at the docks with Emowyn driving Auron's truck. Alyss rode in the passenger seat while the others walked tiredly, having no room in the back since _Titan_ was tied down in it. They parked the vehicle and APCT quickly noticed them. Tyr came walking up to them at a fast pace and looked around the group. "Where are Jace and Auron? What happened?"

He looked to Alyss and saw her eyes wide in worry and fear, then he looked to Raine and saw her less worried than her teammate. Ashe walked up and placed her hand on Raine's shoulder. "Raine, what happened?"

Raine looked up to her and looked through the both of them, then to Alyss. "Jace went to help Pyrrha. We… we don't know…" She shook herself and stopped herself from saying it. She didn't want to give Alyss any more worries. "Auron went with Ironwood and Glynda to Beacon. They're going to see what can be done."

"Then why don't we go too?" Paige asked quickly and gripped the hilts of his weapons.

"Your eye is still bad from your match," Erron answered him and saw his shoulders slump and heard his annoyed sigh, "The General and Glynda are more than enough. With Qrow with them, they're definitely capable of handling anything up there. And if you've seen what we have of Auron, then you'd know that things are handled as best as they can be up there."

"Did you know he helped hold back an army of Crimson Lance?" Emowyn asked them all and they shook their heads, "Then I doubt you'd know why he's pushing forward to help his friend like this and why he's fighting so hard to protect this school, to become a Huntsman."

"Well," Terra started and looked up toward the tower, "It's to protect humanity and Faunus-kind right? Most every Hunter did it for that."

"That doesn't begin to cover it." Erron stated.

Emowyn nodded and continued. "Before, that _was_ his main reason. Now… it's just a small reason why."

"What are his reasons now?" Tyr asked in curiosity.

"His father was killed by the Crimson Lance leader. Poisoned," Erron started and the team's eyes grew wide, "Before that, his mother was bitten by a snake Faunus and was poisoned by the venom, but she was taken care of. The type his father was hit with had no cure."

Tyr gave a short growl of anger and shook his head. "A coward's weapon." He said lowly.

"Right. What his father wanted Auron to do was to do what Auron wanted, to become a Huntsman," Emowyn took the reigns of the explanation, "Auron's doing that now mostly because his father wasn't one himself. He wants to be what his dad never could be. The other reason is simple but carries so much weight with him. He doesn't want any of his friends to die because of the Crimson Lance. He doesn't want to see what happened to his father happen to Jace or anyone."

"He promised Jace's dad at his headstone that he'd watch Jace's back… S-so did I." Raine said from the side.

A bright light in the sky above Beacon distracted them for a moment as the Rangers' words sunk in. "How do you two know so much about him?" Paige asked them.

Ashe laid a hand on his shoulder. "Auron's from Mistral, right?" She asked the Rangers and they nodded, "Vaas told me they missed the last Gathering because of the Crimson Lance there. They were helping Auron's family deal with them."

"We fought with them because our friend Preacher asked us to help." Erron said sadly and sighed as they saw the _Ravensword_ arrived at Beacon.

"Hmm…" Tyr hummed as he thought over everything that was described to them of Auron's past, "And he has pushed forward along with Jace?" He said and the two Rangers nodded again.

Everyone looked back toward Beacon and the airship took off and was coming for the docks.

* * *

The _Ravensword_ arrived at the docks and landed in the most open area Viktor could find. Some of the citizens that had made it to the docks gathered around and watched it land. At the front of the crowd were two members of team JKDW and the leader of APCT, looking on worriedly as they waited for the airship to touch down.

Tyr was worried for the warrior he grew to respect now that he knew him. Raine was worried for the teammate who's back she swore she'd watch. Alyss was worried for the one she loved and opened up to.

The doors opened and the first people out were the injured. Yang was carried out first by Sun and Neptune, followed by Sage and Scarlet. The small group let out a shocked gasp at her injury, seeing that she lost her right forearm and hand.

"Good Oum…" Tyr said and held his head down as he stared at his prosthetic.

Nora and Ren limped out of the airship, followed by Jaune with a sad look in his eyes. He held Pyrrha's circlet weakly in his hands as he followed behind his team. Pyrrha wasn't with them. Alyss and Raine feared the worst as they noticed Jaune's face stained with tears.

After them, Alyss bolted forward at the sight of the next ones out.

"Jace!"

Auron came out of the airship carrying Jace in his arms. His face wore a blank expression and his face was stained with tears as well. Alyss made it to them and she noticed all the burns and how little Jace was breathing.

"Jace, no! Please be okay!"

"We need to get 'im to a doctor with Yang," Auron said in a quaking voice and walked past her, "It's bad…"

Alyss nodded and walked after him, then Raine and Tyr met up with them. They followed after Sun and Neptune and were led to a clinic that was set up after the Rangers secured the area. All the civilians cleared the way for the injured and dispersed after all the people disembarked the airship.

They arrived at the clinic and Auron laid Jace down gently on a bed, then he was quickly tended to by the medics along with Yang. Alyss sat down and looked between Jace and the door. Still, Pyrrha wasn't anywhere to be seen.

"A-Alyss?"

Alyss' head bolted toward the source of her name, then she stared in even more shock. Caitlyn was sitting next to a bed with bandages wrapped around her waist and arms with her son laying on the bed, unconscious, with a thick bandage over his head and right arm.

"Caitlyn? Wh-what happened?"

She gripped her son's hand with tears streaming down her dust-covered face. "We… An U-Ursa… came from an alley w-while we were running. W-we couldn't do anything and i-it…" She couldn't keep anymore tears from falling as she shuddered horribly, "It c-clawed his arm and i-i-it had his head in its mouth…"

Alyss rushed over to her and wrapped her in a hug, letting her emotions flow freely as she cried with Caitlyn. "I-I'm so sorry…" She said weakly as Qrow walked in with Ruby and placed her in a bed opposite of them.

"How did you both get saved?" Alyss asked quietly, not trusting her voice to stay steady.

"My mate…" She answered and gripped Jack's hand tighter, "He followed my aura and found us in time. I-If he wasn't there…" Caitlyn couldn't finish the thought as her body shook with heavier sobs. Alyss held her and could only cry as well, knowing at least a small bit of the pain she was going through right now.

* * *

Auron, Raine, Tyr, Sun, Neptune, Ren, and Nora made their way out and noticed Qrow carrying Ruby in as well. Tyr walked silently to find his team as the others walked on. Jaune had separated from them immediately after disembarking the ship and was sitting by himself near the water. They stared blankly and went to find somewhere to be, out of the way of everything.

"I guess it's over…" Neptune said monotonously.

"Yeah… i-it is…" Auron replied shakily as he took unsteady breaths.

"What'd you guys have to deal with?" Sun asked Raine and Auron.

"White Fang, Grimm, Knights…" Raine said and took off her cloak. She held it weakly in her hand as most of it covered the ground.

"Crimson Lance…" Auron said lowly, "What about you?"

"Grimm, Paladins, the… _whatever_ it was… dropping Grimm on our heads. Stuff like that." Nora replied in a sad voice.

"Hell… Cardin an' his team even came along with the General, Glynda an'" Auron paused and tried to remember the other Huntsman's name, "Qrow, I think his name was. They saved our asses."

"That's surprising." Nora snorted out a humorless laugh.

Ren laid a hand on her shoulder. "Perhaps he realized that he shouldn't let his past actions influence what he does in a crisis."

"I'm surprised he didn't just run. It's all he's good for." She replied back.

"At least he put aside his attitude to help when it counted," Ren spoke quietly and looked outward toward the water, "But it is finished… we may take some comfort in that at least."

"Yeah, at least it's done… but," Raine started and looked toward Beacon, "I don't know what Jace will think when he finds out he doesn't have a home anymore."

Auron shook his head and sighed. "Hell, what about Alyss? She lost her mom in all this. Now she don't have a home either. She opened herself up to us just a couple days ago… It's all just too much."

"Yeah, I'm worried about them both." Raine said and they sat in silence.

Auron sighed and stood up. "I'm gonna stand somewhere. I-I just…" He shook his head as fresh tears rolled down his face. He walked away without another word. Raine's voice caught in her throat as she noticed his shoulders shaking.

"We don't have anywhere to go either." Nora said and felt her eyes stinging.

"We will be okay, Nora." Ren assured her and they hugged each other tightly, with Nora letting her emotions out.

"Why'd it have to be her?" She asked silently as tears started falling from her eyes.

Raine looked to the two and her eyes went wide. "What do you mean by that?" She asked, dreading the answer.

"We…" Ren took a deep breath and hugged Nora more tightly as his usual stoic mask was broken with tears, "W-we lost Pyrrha…"

* * *

 _"Mom? Dad? Where are you?"_

Jace heard the words deep in his mind, almost sounding drowned out. It sounded very familiar to him. Visions started swirling around and soon, he saw Atlas in front of him. More importantly, he saw an eight year-old boy with brown eyes and brown hair, looking around a crowd of people fearfully.

 _"Mom! Dad!"_ The boy yelled again.

The next thing he knew, he was in the small boy's body, feeling his fear for himself. He felt the tears welling in the boy's eyes and felt the quivering of his lips.

The realization came to him and hit him like a truck.

It was him.

* * *

"How's he doing?" Raine asked softly when she and Auron walked into the hospital room.

After a few days, multiple more Hunters arrived in Vale and helped clear the way toward the closest hospital, fighting past the Grimm that still remained in the city. A few more Rangers arrived from Vacuo and Atlas and worked with the Hunters in going to the city for supplies and searching for survivors while others patrolled the edge of the safe zone.

"He's breathing a little bit better…" Alyss answered weakly and they heard the sniffle come from her. It's clear that she had been crying.

"How was Jaune?" She asked quietly after a moment.

"Still shocked. He ain't talked much at all since we got back." Auron answered.

"What about you?"

"I… I don't know," Auron answered truthfully and quietly, "I-I just don't know. My dad… an' now Pyrrha… I-I lost both of 'em in a few months. I really don't know what to feel." He said and held his head down.

Raine looked to him and saw the tears forming in eyes. She turned to Alyss to hopefully change the subject. "Did you heal his burns?" She asked Alyss.

She shook her head. "No… they somehow healed themselves… but the wound on his side isn't healed yet."

"When I got Jace, it looked like there was aura comin' from _Standoff_ to 'im. Maybe that's the reason." Auron said and sat down in a chair.

"Where _is_ his sword anyway?" Raine asked.

Auron shook his head sadly. "I couldn't get it."

"What do you mean?" She asked in confusion.

"It's just…" Auron started and rested his chin in his hand, "I tried pullin' it from the ground but it was just stuck there. It wouldn't move any at all."

"That doesn't make any sense though. How couldn't it move?" Raine wondered.

"I don't know. Maybe his aura sealed it to the ground, an' only he can get it." Auron suggested.

"Is that even possible?" Alyss asked and went to hold Jace's hand even more tightly.

"I don't know. But it's the only reason I can think of," Auron said and went to stand, "I'm gonna go get some fresh air."

"Yeah, I'll come with you," Raine said and stood as well, "You coming, Alyss?"

"N-no… I'll stay here." She answered.

"Alright, see you in a bit." Auron said and the two walked from the room.

Alyss waved to them and smiled weakly. When the door closed, she lost her smile and leaned over Jace.

She kissed his forehead and started crying again.

"Please wake up, Jace…"

"I don't wanna lose you too…"

* * *

Auron was sitting on a bench and looking over the waters on the edge of Vale, thinking to himself silently. The Crimson Lance were in Vale, and so was Hawk and Kain. Auron breathed easier knowing that Kain was dead, for good this time, but he looked at himself in confusion.

He was face to face with Hawk but he did nothing. He didn't know why. Maybe he was scared. Maybe he was too angry to do anything. A part could've been because he was distracted completely by silver wings sprouting from Jace at the activation of his semblance. He didn't know and he really didn't care at the moment.

His best friend from Sanctum was lost. It was a horrible realization when he recognized what Jaune was holding that night. He remembered all the times he shared with her, training and talking with her. Now he wouldn't be able to talk to her ever again. He didn't know which was worse, the fact that Pyrrha's death was quick from what he heard, or the fact that Jace was suffering in a coma and didn't seem to be waking up any time soon. No, there really was no difference. Both were equally horrible in their own right.

Auron sighed and looked outward as tears filled his vision again, seeing an airship flying toward Patch from the docks. It carried Yang and Ruby back to their home along with Qrow. From whatever happened to her, Ruby hadn't woken up either. Auron started to wonder if he'd ever see any of them again after this. He shook his head at the thought. If he could help it, he would be the first in line to help take back Beacon and he was sure he'd see all of them on that day.

"Hey Auron." A voice said from behind him.

Auron turned around and saw Emowyn walking toward him. "How've you been?"

"Good for the most part. What about you?" She asked and sat down next to him.

"Not good at all. Pyrrha's gone an' Jace is in a coma. I couldn't do a damn thing about either," Auron answered, "Think he'll be alright?"

"I don't know," She admitted and shook her head, "From what we understand, Jace fell from the top of the tower. He honestly shouldn't be alive. And Pyrrha…" She sighed as she noticed the tears in Auron's eyes, "I'm so sorry. I know she was close to you."

They sat and looked out to the sea in silence for several minutes, watching the sunset and watching the stars appear in the sky.

"I saw Hawk." Auron said suddenly.

"You actually saw him again? What did he do?"

"He didn't seem focused on me… He just started talkin' to Jace, tellin' 'im about those experiments an' how he wanted to see what the body could take. If they would adapt or perish or somethin' like that," Auron leaned back and looked to the sky, "I didn't do a damn thing…"

"You didn't do anything at all? You didn't fight him or anything?"

"No, it was like I was frozen. I wanted to kill 'im but I just couldn't move… I want 'im to pay for killin' dad… but I think it was 'cause I was scared," Auron replied and shook his head, "I remember what his poison did to dad. I was scared shitless that it would happen to me too… terrified it'd happen to my team. I didn't want any of them to go through that hell."

"If I was in your shoes I would be scared too," Emowyn said and gave a small frown, "I was scared out of my mind when all of that started, and Raine was somewhere in Vale. I didn't know if she was alright or… or hurt badly," She shook her head and looked up, "I shouldn't have been worried. I know she can handle herself. But, it's just what older sisters do."

"Yeah, she fought really good. Takes after you I'd say." Auron said.

Emowyn smiled a bit at that. "I'm glad you're all okay." She said and stood up, then left.

Auron sighed and looked out to the sea, then shook his head sadly.

"We're really not…"

* * *

 _"Hello… Who are you?"_

Jace could only watch through the boy's eyes as he spun around quickly. He nearly brought his ruined pistol up, but was stopped in his tracks when he stared into those sky-blue eyes.

 _"D-dad?_ " Jace thought and the word echoed through his mind.

 _"Hey, come on, you can trust me." Haile said softly and kneeled down to the boy's height._

 _"J-Jace…" The child answered finally._

 _"Just Jace? Do you have a last name?"_

 _"Storm." Jace answered._

 _"What happened to your head? Why's it wrapped up like that?"_

 _Jace hesitated and held his hand to his head. "Someone hit me."_

 _"Now why would they do that?"_

 _"I tried to take his lien."_

 _Haile smiled gently. "Where are your parents?"_

 _Jace's lips quivered and he broke eye contact, looking straight to the ground. "I-I don't know. I can't find them."_

 _Haile tilted his head and frowned. "How long have you been looking? I can help you look."_

 _"Since March." Jace said silently._

 _"March? It's February though…" Haile's eyes widened in shock, "You've been looking for a year?"_

 _Jace nodded slowly. Haile pursed his lips in thought. "So you've been homeless?" He asked softly. He nodded again._

 _"Do you want a home?"_

 _Jace slowly looked up with tears in his eyes and stared blankly at the man._

 _"I'm Haile Reznor by the way." Haile said and smiled again._

 _He simply nodded to the older man. He couldn't bring himself to say anything._

 _"Well come on, buddy. I have someone for you to meet."_

* * *

"It appears your friend's condition may be getting a bit better." The doctor said to team JKDW.

It had been a month since Vale fell. Jace was in a more stable condition and thankfully wasn't losing much muscle due to massages to move them around, to keep from atrophy.

"Yesterday while you three were out, his prosthetic hand twitched." The doctor continued and saw their expressions lift.

"That mean he'll wake up soon?" Auron asked.

"Sadly, it does not mean that…" Their eyes dropped to the floor, "I believe it was only his prosthetic reacting to his aura. I'm sorry."

The doctor left them room after he said that. They all looked to Jace with sad stares. Alyss hardly ever left his side since he was brought there, always holding his hand. She reminded Auron of his mother, always by his father's side until he passed.

Alyss had made short trips over to see Caitlyn and Jack, using her semblance in short durations on Jack's head and arm to try and help, but she couldn't keep at it for long until she grew tired with dwindling energy coupled with lack of sleep.

"I'm gonna go get somethin' to eat… you guys want anything?" Auron asked and stood from his seat.

"Bring me whatever I guess…" Alyss said quietly without raising her head.

Raine stood as well. "I'll go with you." She said and the two left the room.

Alyss sat there for several moments before she raised her head and looked at Jace. He looked so helpless and weak just laying there. She hated seeing him like that, not able to help, not able to tell him what was happening or what happened to everyone. Her eyes started to sting again and she took a deep breath, then nearly jumped from her seat at her hand being squeezed.

She looked over at Jace and saw his lip twitching, along with his right hand.

It was very faint, but she started to smile again.

* * *

 _"Genesis! Come down here for a minute!" Haile hollered through his home._

 _"What's wrong!?" Genesis called back and walked down the stairs, then saw the other boy standing behind Haile._

 _"I want you to meet Jace. He was homeless… like you were."_

 _Haile motioned for Jace to step forward, and he did. He looked at the older boy nervously._

 _"Hey… I'm Genesis Galloway." Genesis greeted and walked forward._

 _"J-Jace Storm. Y-you were homeless?"_

 _"Yeah, dad found me a few months ago. I'm ten, how about you?"_

 _"Eight."_

 _Genesis opened his mouth to speak but couldn't. Jace looked up and saw tears forming in his emerald eyes._

 _He stepped forward and wrapped Jace in a hug. "You're not alone now, Jace. I know how it feels… I'll be your big brother. I'll make sure you're not alone again. I promise."_

 _Jace broke down and wrapped his arms tightly around Genesis. He sobbed into the taller boy's shoulder for several moments while Haile watched with tears in his eyes as well._

 _"Hey Gen, how about we get him some food? I'm sure he's hungry."_

* * *

"Thanks for helpin' out, Tyr." Auron said as he closed the door to Jace's house.

It had been two months since Vale fell. Jace's condition was well enough that he was taken to his home outside Atlas. Every few days since it first happened, Jace's body twitched in different places, his legs, arms, lips and eyebrows. Alyss always smiled a bit when she felt her hand being squeezed by one of the twitches in his hand.

Auron had gotten Tyr's number after they arrived in Atlas, asking for help around the city from the airdocks. "Think nothing of it," Tyr said and shook Auron's hand, "I still do not know Jace that well, but after being able to speak with him and learning of what happened to him… I have a great amount of respect for him. I consider him as a friend."

"Yeah… He's got mine too." Auron said and took a deep breath from all the emotions that ran through his head these past months.

Tyr placed his left hand on Auron's shoulder. "The two Rangers told us of what happened to you as well. I am truly sorry about everything that's happened. With your family and with Pyrrha."

" _Sorry_ …" Auron echoed and brought his gaze up to meet Tyr's, "I think me an' Jace both heard that enough. It's not that I don't appreciate it… but none of that can be changed."

"Both you and Jace have pushed through your troubles and have come this far. You both have my respect."

Auron gave a short sigh. "Thanks, Tyr. I'm gonna go check on Jace, then I'll get you back to the city." Auron said and got a nod from him.

Auron walked into Jace's house and went straight to his room, not surprisingly, finding Alyss still by his side.

"Anything new?"

She shook her head. "No, he's twitched a couple times… but nothing else."

"It'll be alright, Alyss," Auron assured her, "I'm takin' Tyr back to the airdocks. Raine should be here in a week or two. Goin' to a Gatherin' can take a while. I'll be back as soon as I can." He finished and walked from the room.

* * *

"Rangers, I wish I could say things are getting better, but I can't lie to you," The commandant of the Rangers, Remington, started. He was a relatively short man around five feet and six inches tall. He had his hood off, revealing his golden eyes, dark red hair and full beard. His weapon of choice was a set of axes that, if combined together, would transform to a crossbow.

"Because of the Vytal Tragedy and the fall of Vale and Beacon, tensions between Atlas and the other Kingdoms are extremely high and they may be on the brink of war,"

All of the Rangers were gathered on short notice after the call had been made. All apprentices were there as well, including those only just beginning their training.

"We all know what will happen if that comes to pass. We'll gather back here, discuss it, and disband until it's done. But until then, the Rangers that overlook the councils will try to smooth things out and try to keep war from happening," Remington motioned for Raine to step forward, "We have two apprentices here that was in the heart of it all, in the colosseum when Cinder Fall hijacked the broadcast. One of them knows a few things that may help in calming things down. Raine, have at it."

"Thank you Remington," Raine said and took a deep breath, "Like he said, I was in the colosseum attending the match of Yang Xiao Long vs Mercury Black. I was also there during the Pyrrha Nikos vs Penny Polendina match when everything fell. Before I get into details, what does everyone think about what Yang did?"

"She attacked a boy she already won against when he had no aura left for no reason." Someone said.

"I'd say she just wasn't thinking straight from the adrenaline and excitement from everything." Another replied.

"Well, you would both actually be wrong. The leader of my team, my partner and friend, Jace Reznor, brought this to light. Yang was tricked into doing that. All of you should know Jace, the escaped experiment that put an end to the kidnappings. When he was taken, a person was there that made him and his brother see a horde of Grimm in the trees. That same person attended the match and she participated in the matches before that. Emerald Sustrai. She made it seem like, to Yang, that Mercury attacked her, but he really didn't,"

"Then she was there at the Pyrrha Nikos vs Penny Polendina match where she made Pyrrha see something that caused her to force Penny's swords back with her semblance, causing Penny to be torn apart by the wires. Then Cinder hijacked the broadcast and revealed that Penny was a synthetic human, created by Atlas, made to look completely normal. Then the invasion started,"

"She was right, it wasn't an accident, but it _was_ a horrible tragedy. Yang and Pyrrha aren't at fault for anything that happened. It was Cinder, Mercury, Emerald, Roman Torchwick, the White Fang and the Crimson Lance that caused everything. They hacked all of the Knights and Paladins and made them fire on the civilians but no one outside Ironwood, Ozpin, and us know. But now Ozpin is apparently missing and that will make matters worse. This needs to be taken to the councils before anyone makes any fear-based decisions. I don't want anymore people to die from this. That's all I have to give." Raine took another deep breath and stepped back, giving Remington room to speak again.

"All of this comes from a second year apprentice. She fought tooth and nail with her team and helped get many civilians to the safe zone along with Ashe. Ashe stayed at the docks and kept them safe from danger. They and all the students from Beacon that participated in the tournament fought for their lives and their home. All of the foreign students fought for them and with them out of honor. We need to ensure this doesn't turn into war. We can't let this divide us. Return to your tents. You'll report back to your respective Kingdoms in the morning and await for further orders." Remington put an end to the meeting and turned to Raine.

"You did well, Raine." He said and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Thanks Remington. What do you think will happen?"

"Well, I'm hoping that they can get back to the councils and tell them what you said. But things might already be in motion." Remington replied sadly.

"This is really bad. What am I gonna do about my apprenticeship with Beacon gone."

Remington gave her a small smile. "The way I see it, you have two choices. Either go to Vacuo, Mistral, or Atlas and continue your studies there. Or you can return to your team, watch over your friend, train with them, and wait until we take back Beacon and you can resume your training then. I think I know what you'll pick, so there will be a bullhead waiting to take you back to Atlas," He nodded and turned away.

"Go get some sleep, kid."

Raine turned to go to find her father, uncle, and sister, but Halt was already standing behind her.

He stepped forward and wrapped Raine in a hug. "I'm so glad you're okay. I'm proud of you, Raine."

Raine hugged him back and took a deep breath. "Thanks, dad."

They stepped away from each other and Halt smiled. "One day, I'm gonna meet your team."

"Don't worry. You will."

* * *

 _"I swear to Oum I'm gonna fucking beat that idiot's head in." Jace said silently to Genesis as they all walked back to the bullhead._

 _Genesis only grunted in response and held his stomach._

 _"How's your gut?"_

 _"Sore. The dumbass could've got us killed." Genesis said a bit more loudly than intended._

 _"Are you saying something, Galloway?" Michael asked in a smug voice._

 _"Yeah, I said that dumbass could've got us killed." Genesis answered with an edge in his voice._

 _"Well it's not my fault that that you couldn't kill a little Beowulf._

 _Genesis stopped in his tracks and turned to face the boy. "Do I have to remind you that you stepped in front of me and made me hesitate!?"_

 _"Oh please! You saw me going for that Grimm!"_

 _"Bullshit! Why don't you pull your head out of your ass for once and actually be a help to this team!" Genesis yelled in Michaels face._

 _"Excuse me," Liza butted in and stood next to Michael, "Maybe you should stop blaming-"_

 _"How about we all just shut the fuck up!" Jace yelled and stood between everyone._

 _"You know what, no! If your big brother there can't handle a few Grimm, maybe he shouldn't even be training to be a Huntsman!" Michael yelled._

 _"Or!" Genesis yelled back and stepped closer, "Maybe both of you can get your heads straight and do all your class work and maybe! Just maybe! Train yourselves to be worth a damn in a fight!"_

 _"Enough!" Jace yelled even louder, "This is giving me such a fucking headache! Let's just get to the damn bullhead and get back to the school!" Jace stood right between the two of them and glared at Michael, "If anything else about this spews out of your mouth about this, I'm gonna put a fucking stop to it."_

 _Everyone was silent for a few moments until Genesis took a deep breath, then turned to walk away with Jace following soon after._

 _"I can't believe I'm the one at fault for this, y'know?" Michael said to Liza just loudly enough for Jace to hear._

 _Jace gritted his teeth and turned around. "I swear to fucking Oum." He growled and stomped toward Michael._

 _What-" That was all the boy could get out before he was laying on the ground, knocked out cold._

 _Jace turned and sped up to walk next to Genesis, leaving Liza to carry Michael._

* * *

"Ah, hello. I take it you are Auron Karmine?" The man asked when Auron answered the door.

"Yeah, that'd be me. Who's askin'?" Auron answered.

"I am Doctor Seabolte. The one who developed Jace's prosthetic." Seabolte answered him. He had brought a trunk with him full of different tools along with a young worker from the labs to carry the trunk. Seabolte had made him wait in the vehicle though. In his hand, he carried a case.

"So you're him?" Auron said and stuck his hand out in greeting, "What brings you here?"

Seabolte took his hand and shook it. "Alyssia called me from Jace's scroll and told me everything. I would like to see if his prosthetic has taken any damage and take it back to the lab. Could you carry this case for me?" He requested and pointed to the box on the ground.

Auron bent down and picked it up easily. "Alright. Follow me." Auron said and led the Doctor through the house and up the stairs.

They stepped into the bedroom and caught Alyss' attention immediately. "Hello doctor." She greeted the older man.

"Hello again, miss," Seabolte greeted with a bow, "How have you been?"

"A little bit better." She answered simply and looked to Jace again.

"A little better is better than not better at all." He replied and went to Jace's left side. He looked over every inch of the prosthetic for any type of damage. The only thing he noticed was scorch marks along the entire length of it. He nodded and motioned for Auron to set the box down. Auron put it down next to the bed and went to retrieve a chair for Seabolte to sit in as he worked.

"Thank you, young man," He said and grabbed tools from the box. He looked to Alyss and noticed she was staring in confusion. "Forgive me, I forgot to explain what I am doing," He said with a small smile, "I'm detaching his prosthetic and taking it back to the lab. I neglected to mention that when you called. My apologies."

"Okay, but…" Alyss hesitated. She knew she should've known the reason, but she couldn't remember after everything that's happened. "Why?"

"I will be giving it the enhancement that Jace and I have spoke of with each other. I will also be coating it with synthetic skin for his request. I will be replacing the actuators in it as well, to coexist with his semblance." Seabolte answered and went to work on removing the prosthetic.

"How long will it take?" She asked.

"It shouldn't be more than a few days. The simplest will be attaching the sensors and nerves in the fingertips. Replacing the actuators will take no time at all, then the skin will take two days to complete," He gave a sad smile at Jace's condition, "With his condition as it is now, the prosthetic can be re-set easily with absolutely no worry of his body convulsing. It wouldn't even be bad if he were awake."

He worked for several minutes and detached the prosthetic and set it in the case he carried. "I will get this done as soon as possible, you have my word. It will be a nice surprise for when he wakes up, won't it?" He asked with a small grin toward Alyss.

She allowed herself a very faint smile. "Yeah… it will be." She answered and Seabolte took his leave.

* * *

"So, they'll hopefully set 'em straight on what happened?" Auron asked in relief as they ate the food he cooked.

"Yeah. Every Ranger knows what happened now. I'm hoping that Cinder and the rest of them get caught and dealt with soon." Raine replied and took a bite of her food.

"Same here," Alyss said and sighed, "Hopefully Jace will wake up soon. He needs to know all this. He needs to know what happened to Yang."

"Yeah… he really needs to know about Pyrrha too." Auron said and stared into his plate. His shoulders started shaking as he choked back a sob.

"Auron…" Alyss started and saw his expression.

"They couldn't even find her body… All that was left was her damn circlet!" Auron's hands started shaking and he set his fork down to hold his head in his hands. "It's been two months an' I can't fuckin' keep calm when I talk about her."

They were silent for the remainder of their meal. Raine and Alyss knew from how much Auron talked about her that he was very close to Pyrrha. For him to deal with both his father and his close friend die in only a few months time was heartbreaking for him. Then there were the facts that Yang lost her arm, Ruby was in a coma from the last time he'd seen her, one of his closest friends was in a worse coma from falling off the tower, and to top all of those horrible things off, his father's weapon was abandoned at Beacon.

"Maybe Jace could talk to Yang after he wakes up…" Auron suggested after a while.

"If anyone can relate to her, it's him." Raine replied.

"All we can do is hope I guess." Alyss said and sighed.

* * *

 _"You boys heading out?" Haile asked the two as they were preparing._

 _"Yeah, we're going out in the forest to see if we can find metals for a new sword for me." Jace answered and slipped his jacket over his arms, then he went to strap his spaulder on his right shoulder._

 _"Plus I really need to get away from those two. I'm glad we have this break." Genesis said._

 _"Well, I'm about to head into the city for a few days. If I see anything that you might be able to use, I'll pick it up for you." Haile answered._

 _"I'd appreciate it. Thanks dad." Jace replied with a smile._

 _"Just be careful out there, boys."_

 _"We will," Genesis said and put his sleeveless duster on, "Don't worry."_

* * *

Jace could hear something, it was barely audible and drowned out like it was coming from under water. It sounded like a man naming off things from a list. Things like 'tragedy' and 'illusions.'

 _"The Vytal Festival…"_ Jace remembered. After a few moments, he could hear the voice a bit clearer.

"…next song is one that, I think, fits this situation pretty well," So it was a voice on the radio, then, "I had some friends in the middle of the Vytal Tragedy when it happened. They were in the stands watching Pyrrha Nikos go against Penny Polendina. One of them… o-one of them didn't make it…" The man choked up and tried to regain his composure, "A-anyways this next song is called _The Light_. Be safe out there guys, and please don't let hope become a memory."

The song started and Jace recognized it from his scroll. One of his favorites.

His eyes started to come open slowly and he was blinded by the light in the room he was in.

 _'You heard the call as you walked away. A voice of calm from within the silence…'_

The words of the song came more clearly to him and his eyes opened a bit more.

 _'And for what seemed an eternity. You're waiting, hoping, it would call out again.'_

Alyss.

Jace's mind went to the girl that kept him calm ever since he met her. The girl that led him through it all, all the pain and heartbreak he went through. The girl that opened up about her hidden, cat-like nature to their team. The girl that opened up to him about her childhood. The girl he loved. She was his voice of calm, and he desperately hoped to hear her again.

The sound he hoped for the most.

 _'An unforgivable tragedy…'_

Jace's eyes opened more. People had died, countless people. A student died, Penny. Pyrrha and the whole of Beacon were made to take the blame.

 _"D-did I save her?"_ He asked himself in his mind.

 _'Prepare yourself for a reckoning…'_

The people that caused it all. Cinder, Emerald, Mercury. The ones at fault for the Vytal Tragedy.

The ones that caused his own tragedy. Emerald and Hawk. They'll pay, one way or the other.

Jace's eyes opened completely and he looked around the room as his eyes adjusted more. _"My house?"_ He thought to himself and looked around more.

He was definitely there. His father's axe and shotgun were displayed on the wall in front of the bed, along with the _Gift of the Goddess_ painting.

He looked to his left and saw that his prosthetic was gone. He stared in confusion and noticed different wires sticking in him from a machine, monitoring his heartbeat among other things. Then his gaze drifted to the right. He saw his calm voice sitting there, sleeping in a chair and holding his hand firmly in her slumber.

He tried to say something but couldn't, he couldn't find his voice at the moment as he looked at her, trying to will himself to speak to her. He gave up and just gripped his hand as tightly as he could around hers.

Her eyes fluttered open at the feeling and she yawned, then raised her head up.

"Another twitch…" She smiled sadly and lowered her head back down to sleep.

Jace squeezed her hand again and she opened her eyes once more, he saw a light of hope in them. She turned slowly to him and her eyes went wide as tears filled them. She saw that his right eye was now a dark emerald color.

He gave the best smile he could manage and squeezed her hand again.

"J-Jace?" She said like she couldn't believe it.

After a few moments of trying, Jace finally brought himself to speak.

"I-I missed you…" He said weakly and squeezed her hand once more.

She smiled widely and leaned over to hug him, she cried freely into his shoulder as he laid there. He weakly moved his arm and started to rub her back.

As they were in that embrace for several moments, the song on the radio ended.

 _'Sometimes darkness… can show you the light.'_

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: So this lasted a few months from the end of the battle, to Jace waking up. I know that if I spread it out through the chapters, then it would go over one hundred chapters for the story. So I put it all in one chapter, then Jace's recovery will be in the next chapter.**

 **The song at the beginning of the chapter is _So Far Away_ by Avenged Sevenfold. The one at the end is _The Light_ by Disturbed.**

 **See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	45. Chapter 44: The Fire Still Burns

**The Fire Still Burns**

"Hey Gail… Been a while, ain't it?" Auron said as he met his sister and a few more people at the front door.

"Yeah it has," Gail said and hugged her brother, "Good to see you're okay."

"On the outside, yeah." Auron sighed and lowered his head.

"On the outside?" Gail echoed and saw the sadness in his eyes when he looked back up.

"I'm still workin' through what happened with Pyrrha."

"Oh. Yeah, that makes sense…"

"What are they here for?" Auron asked in remarks to the other three people.

"If everything's alright, they'll be taking the monitoring equipment back."

"Alright, thanks for comin'." Auron said and led them into the house.

"How long's he been out?"

"Since Beacon fell. So between three or four months." Auron answered and they went up the stairs.

They stepped into Jace's room and saw his eyes closed, with Alyss by his right side, with Raine sitting on the other side. The technicians stayed just outside the door.

"Hey guys. This is Gail, my sister," Auron introduced them, "She's a doctor an' she's gonna make sure everything's good."

"Nice to meet you, Gail." Alyss and Raine greeted.

"You too. Now, he's been in a coma for, let's just say three and a half months, right?" Gail asked to make sure.

"Yes." Alyss answered.

"That's long enough for his basic functions to be hard on him. Like talking and just moving his limbs," Gail explained and stepped toward the bed, "It'll take him some time to walk again though. Even with aura, being out this long has its effects. Can you wake him up?"

Alyss nodded and nudged Jace's shoulder. He opened his eyes slowly and saw the new person. He tried to ask who it was but still couldn't speak at the moment.

"Jace, I'm Gail Silver. Auron's sister. I'm here to make sure your basic functions are alright." She explained and stepped closer.

She held her finger in front of him and pointed upward, "Look up for me, please," She requested. It took him a second, but he looked up slowly, "Alright, now follow my finger." She started moving her finger back and forth in front of him, and he followed it slowly.

"Can you talk?" She asked and waited.

He opened his mouth to try, but couldn't. He kept at it for a few moments and felt his voice return.

"K-kinda…" He said quietly.

"Okay. Move your right arm." Jace did weakly.

"Left leg now." He moved his left leg.

"Now the right leg." Jace moved it as well.

"Alright, it looks like everything's as normal as it can be with your condition. Like I told Auron, it'll take some time for you to be able to walk due to being inactive for that long," Gail said and turned to leave, but not before hugging her brother, "See you later Auron."

"See ya sis. Tell James I said hey." Auron replied and she left while the technicians gathered the equipment.

* * *

"Hey Doc. Did you get it ready?" Auron asked as he answered the door.

"I did. It took a few more days than anticipated, but I wanted to make sure everything was right."

"That's alright but uh," Auron started and looked at the case the doctor held, "He woke up a couple days ago."

"He's awake?" Seabolte echoed and smiled, "That is good to know. Now, let's get this up there."

Auron nodded and took the trunk of tools for him and brought him through the house and up the stairs. Auron had his hands full when he came to the door and knocked on it with his head. "Hands are full." He said and waited for the door to open.

After a few moments, the door opened and Alyss looked at him, the trunk, and the man behind him holding the case. "Hello again, doctor." She greeted the man and stepped out of the way.

"Ah, please, just call me Seabolte," He replied and stepped into the room, "I understand that Jace woke up a few days ago?" He asked and went closer to the bed.

"Yeah. He's still pretty tired though." Alyss answered him.

"After my sis came by an' checked him out, he went straight back to sleep an' ain't woke up." Auron added.

"Hmm. Well, it won't be a problem," Seabolte said and had Auron set the case down on the left side of the bed, "Since the prosthetic has already been attached and his aura runs through it, nothing will happen to make his body convulse as I have said before."

"Do you want him awake?" Alyss asked.

"Hmm… no. He needs all the rest he can get for the moment," Seabolte answered and prepared his equipment, "I will try not to wake him."

Raine walked in from training and noticed what was happening. She stayed silent and walked over next to Auron. Seabolte brought the prosthetic up and, with years of practice and experience coming into play, set it back into the locks in the steel on Jace's shoulder. He locked them in place and set the sensors back into their pins, then Jace started to stir.

"Hmm… wha?" He said and opened his eyes, seeing Doctor Seabolte sitting there next to him, "S-Seabolte?" He asked weakly, still lacking the strength for much speaking.

"Yes, it's me, Jace," The Doctor answered as he worked with the flaps of synthetic skin on the top of the prosthetic. He laid them over onto Jace's shoulder and chest and applied a special adhesive to hold it against him. When the synthetic met real skin, it seemed to blend together, making it look seamless.

"It seems as though the surprise is out the window," Seabolte said with a chuckle, "This adhesive is weatherproof and will not irritate you in any way. I'm going to turn the arm on now. Are you ready?"

Jace stared in confusion before he slowly nodded. Seabolte moved his finger up to an exposed part of the prosthetic and lifted a small panel in the metal. "Now as I've said to your teammates, this will not have any effect on you since your aura is already in the arm. Do you understand?"

Jace nodded slowly and Seabolte flipped the switch. Jace _did_ feel something, but it was a pleasant feeling rather than an intense drain. The Doctor closed the panel and placed a flap of skin over it with more adhesive. "How does it feel?"

"It feels… nice." Jace replied and weakly lifted the prosthetic in front of him. He moved the fingers around and smiled faintly from not seeing metal there anymore.

"It will take a good while to get used to it," Seabolte said and gathered his equipment, "What I have done was make multiple more artificial nerves that connect to the pins that connect to your real nerves. They run under the skin and connect to thin, metal plates on the inside of your hand. These plates also extend to everywhere on the prosthetic as well. They are made of a type of mesh that is extremely resistant to damage. For the heating coil, your arm was taken apart and it was placed in the shoulder. It is powered by your aura as well. It has multiple small elements that run through your arm and it will provide temperature that matches your body heat. It also has artificial fingernails for if you are itching somewhere, but please do not bite them off," He explained it all and grinned a bit at Jace's confused expression.

"I believe I should have waited to explain that. It appears to be too much to understand for now. But, that's not important," Seabolte smiled, "Now, you should have feeling once more. Go ahead and try."

Jace looked around for something that was significant for that first feeling. There were so many things in the house that he'd want that touch to be. His father's weapon, his brother's motorcycle if it had been brought back, even something as simple as his own face and hair. Then his eyes fell on Alyss' hand. He weakly grabbed it with his right hand and caused her to jump a bit, then pulled her hand closer. He reached out with the prosthetic and felt her fingertips with his, then pressed his palm against it. He felt every bit of her hand as if he had never lost his feeling. He felt tears welling up in him as he threaded his fingers between hers. She looked to him and smiled at the fact that he wanted to feel her touch as the first thing for the prosthetic to let him feel.

Auron grinned a very small bit from the wall he leaned against with Raine while she and Seabolte smiled widely. "Alyss, how does it feel? Do you feel his body heat?" The doctor asked.

She nodded and squeezed her hand over it. "Yeah. I feel it." She said as he squeezed back. Jace knew how much pressure to apply to something now and he squeezed Alyss' hand again, enjoying the feeling of warmth that came from her and onto his prosthetic.

"I also replaced the actuators. We tested them and they expand and de-spand on their own. They will work with your semblance when you use it," Seabolte explained and stood up, "I believe I may take my leave now," He gave them both a smile, "I'm glad to have helped you, Jace." He said and Auron picked the case up.

"Th-thank you…" Jace said quietly and looked to the Doctor. He took his hand from Alyss' and held it out to Seabolte. "Thank you so much."

Seabolte took his hand and shook it firmly with Jace smiling at the contact. "You are very welcome. Remember, if any problems show up, do not hesitate to call for me. And be sure to oil it once a month." He left the room and Auron led him through the house.

Jace reached his hand back over and gently gripped Alyss'. She looked back to him and smiled as he had already fallen asleep again. She placed his hand back to his left side and went to sit on the same side. She held his hand again and smiled as she closed her eyes.

* * *

"So, Beacon's gone?" Jace asked sadly.

It had been a few days since Jace got his prosthetic back. He was now talking, eating, and drinking well. He hasn't tried walking yet, that would come soon enough though.

"Yeah, an' the Dragon was froze on top of the tower somehow." Auron said and shook his head.

"And Jack's in a coma?" Jace continued.

Alyss nodded and gripped his hand. "The last I heard, he was. I don't know now."

Jace felt his eyes stinging as he regretted the next question. "A-and Pyrrha?"

"She's gone…" Auron answered silently

"I couldn't even help her…" Jace said and looked away from Auron as tears started to fall from his eyes.

"Jace, don't blame yourself for it." Auron told him, "It ain't anyone's fault."

"If I was faster and if I was just better, she'd-"

"Jace, stop!" Auron snapped at him, causing everyone to flinch. "P-please, just stop…" He took a deep breath as tears formed in his eyes again, "Don't blame yourself, man. I can't deal with both you an' Preacher blamin' yourselves for somethin' that ain't your damn fault."

"I can't help it, Auron…" Jace said lowly and rose his tear-filled gaze to him, "I promised I'd follow and watch everyone's backs… I couldn't even do that when it mattered…"

"Jace, it's not your fault," Alyss pleaded with him, "I don't know how to tell you, but it's just not your fault at all."

Jace looked down from her and sighed. "I just don't know what to think about any of this…"

"No one did…" Raine said from the side.

"And _Standoff_ is still there?" He asked after a few moments.

Auron nodded slowly. "It was like it was fused to the ground or somethin'. Even with my strength, I couldn't budge it."

Jace closed his eyes at the news. "I'll get it back. I don't know when, but I will," He said and opened his eyes again, which brought another question.

"My right eye is green now?"

"Yeah. When I separated you from _Standoff_ , it looked like it was transferin' aura to you or somethin', an' you said Genesis' eyes were green an' changed to blue from time to time." Auron answered.

Jace felt his eyelids start to get heavy on him. "I'm sorry, I'm just…really tired now. I'm gonna get some sleep."

They nodded and started to leave. Alyss was the last one out but Jace stopped her.

"Hey Alyss?" He said and got her attention.

"Yeah?" She asked and looked back to him.

He was just so glad to see her again.

"Can you… can you just lay here with me?" Jace asked tiredly.

She smiled a bit and nodded. "Yeah, I can."

She went and laid on the bed as he moved to lay down from his sitting position. She set her head on his shoulder and put her hand on his chest. Jace brought his left hand up and threaded his fingers through her's, letting his hand rest on his chest as well.

He sighed contentedly. "Thanks." Jace said and kissed her left cat ear, drawing a purr from her.

"I'm glad you're okay." She said and closed her eyes.

Jace smiled lightly and closed his eyes as well, then fell asleep easily.

* * *

"Hey guys, what're you doin' here?" Auron asked when he stepped outside to meet Jaune, Nora, Ren, and Ruby.

"We wanted to stop by to see Jace since they're about to stop airship travel." Ruby answered. She wore something completely different than the last time he had seen her. She wore a light-colored blouse under a different type of corset, with puffed out sleeves leading into black cuffs on her forearms. On her leggings was a long, stemmed rose. Her boots had four straps and buckles on each one. Along with _Crescent Rose_ on her back, she also carried one of Penny's swords on her waist in honor of her.

Each one of them had a bit of red and gold on them. Nora and Ren had it on the insides of their collars and Jaune wore a piece of white and gold armor on his left shoulder and a crimson sash around his waist, the sight of it made Auron's eyes tear up a bit.

"H-how's Yang?" Auron asked Ruby after he took his eyes from the sash.

Ruby sighed. "Not too good. She's really depressed about everything."

"I can understand that…" Auron said and sighed, "Let's get all of you in outta the cold."

He led them inside and led them to Jace's room. Ruby looked at the replica weapons on the walls in interest as they walked through the hall. Auron knocked on the door and was told to come in, and he did, seeing Jace dematerialize a jagged-looking dustblade.

"Hey Jace, you got some visitors." He said and led the group into the room.

"Who-" He started and then swallowed as they entered, "Hey guys, how've you been?"

"Hey Jace, we've been alright." Ruby greeted and raised her hand in a wave.

"It's good to see you are awake." Ren said.

"I saw you fall," Ruby started and was now brimming with curiosity, "How did you survive?"

"I guess I can thank Genesis for that," Jace said and they tilted their heads, "When I hit the ground, _Standoff_ stabbed into my side." Ruby's eyes went wide at hearing that.

"You guys didn't tell me that!" She said toward the other three.

"It was just… horrible looking, and I wanted to forget I saw it.…" Jaune said and shuddered at the memory.

"Auron said he saw aura coming from my sword to me, and that it sealed the wound on my side. It still hurts too. The only aura that could come from _Standoff_ would've been Gen's," Jace explained and looked through them, "If you haven't noticed yet, look at my right eye."

They came closer and looked, then stared in confusion. "It's… blue?" Jaune said and scratched his head.

"And it changes to green too. Just like Genesis." Jace said and they moved away.

Ruby looked to the right and noticed his arm for the first time. "Oh! What happened to your arm?" She asked him.

Jace smiled a small bit and held it up in front of him. "Doctor Seabolte came by and added the enhancement to it. I… I can feel stuff with it again."

"That's pretty cool," Jaune said and tilted his head a bit, "And what about the skin?"

"It's so I can hug people or whatever and they don't have to feel metal. I just can't believe I have feeling in it again."

"So, how long are you guys in Atlas for?" Auron asked.

"Not that long now. We'll be leaving for Mistral after we leave here." Ruby answered.

"Why Mistral?" Jace asked in confusion.

"Because that's where Cinder said she was from." Ruby said and Jace's frown deepened.

"I'm sorry I couldn't do much for her." He said quietly.

"It's not your fault… You did what you could." Jaune assured him.

"Anima's where the Crimson Lance was based at too." Auron remarked after the silence that followed Jaune.

"We'll have to watch out for them, then." Ren said and crossed his arms.

"They'll pay." Nora said simply, the first thing she's said since being there, while holding _Magnhild_ tighter.

"As soon as I get back in shape, I might head there too if Hawk is there. Maybe I can give you guys some backup." Jace said.

"We'd appreciate the help." Jaune replied.

"Where's Alyss and Raine?" Ruby asked.

"Well, I'm right here," Raine said and stepped into the doorway, "I was practicing with _Amaranth_."

"And Alyss is taking a shower." Jace said.

"What brings you guys here?" Raine asked.

"Checking on Jace." Jaune answered.

"I can't believe you guys came all the way here just to see how I'm doing." Jace said and gave a smile.

"You're our friend. I would've been worrying if we didn't come to check." Ruby grinned a bit.

"Hey guys!" Alyss said as she walked from the hallway, "It's good seeing you're all okay."

They filled Alyss and Raine in on what was going on and what they were planning, then they prepared to leave.

"Actually, you guys want some food before you go? I'm about to go fix somethin'." Auron asked them.

"Well, I _am_ pretty hungry…" Ruby said and held her stomach.

"It would be wise to have a meal before we leave Atlas." Ren agreed.

"Yeah, that'd be nice." Nora agreed also.

Jaune merely nodded and Ruby turned to Auron. "Alright, we'll stick around."

"Alright then. Sit tight an' I'll fix a good supper"

* * *

"When you get to Mistral, go find my house, 'bout a hundred miles south of the city," Auron said as RNJR were about to leave, "Tell mom an' Preacher that I said for you to stay there until you find a place to stay. Try to get a hold of Emowyn or Erron too, they can find a good place to stay where you won't be bothered while you look."

"We appreciate it Auron, thank you for the meal." Ren said and bowed his head.

"We'll go to your house then. Thanks." Ruby said and they went to leave.

"Y'all want a ride to the airdocks?" Auron asked before they left.

"Sure, if you can get us there faster." Jaune said and nodded.

"Alright. I'll be back later." Auron said to his team and led the others out the door.

"And I'm gonna go train some more before it gets too late." Raine said and left as well.

"Guess that leaves you and me." Jace said and smiled faintly to Alyss.

"I guess it does." Alyss smiled back.

Jace's smile faded as he thought back to something he did. "Am… A-am I evil?"

Alyss looked at him in shock at the question. "Why would you think that?" She asked him.

"Because… back in Vale, when… when _he_ killed your mom…" Jace started and Alyss' ears drooped against her head.

"I-I didn't hesitate… and I did that to him…" Jace looked away from Alyss as his eyes started to water, "I cut his ears off, what he almost did to you. And I stabbed him like he did to her… and I left him in that alley… I didn't think twice before doing it and after I did, it made me feel so sick. Just really, really sick. If it doesn't make me a monster… what is it then?"

"Jace, please don't say that about yourself…" Alyss started and felt tears coming, "You did that because he was an evil man. He killed mom… he took her ears off… he didn't deserve anything less than what you did. I hope…" Alyss hesitated and tears started coming out now, "I hope he died there."

Jace looked to her and held her hand with tears in his eyes as well. "I've done so much stuff that I hated to do… having to kill people to make it out of that facility… and putting those other people to rest. I just hoped you wouldn't hate me for doing that to him, just the thought of me doing it and not hesitating… I was so worried when you didn't say anything to me after I told you," Jace reached up and wiped tears from her cheek, "It broke my heart to see you like that after we got there… that's what told me to do it… If he caused you to cry like that, he deserved every bit of what he got."

"I don't hate you Jace…" Alyss said and crawled on the bed next to him, "I don't hate you…"

Jace put his arm around her as she buried her face into his shoulder. Alyss put her hand on his chest and closed her eyes.

"Thank you, Alyss," Jace said and closed his eyes as well, "Thank you so much."

"Oh, just shut up and give me scritches." She said lightly to hopefully cheer him up.

Jace opened his eyes as a grin tugged at his lips. "Hmm… Auron was right." He said and started scratching behind her ears.

* * *

"When y'all get there, be careful who you talk to," Auron said to RNJR before they entered the airship, "A lot o' the people that give answers like that will stab you in the back as soon as give you a smile. It might be a good place for tourists in the upper an' middle-class areas, but steer clear of the low-class districts. It's half the reason why dad built our house where he did. An' just don't talk to any o' the rats that offer you information. Like I said, they'd stab you in the back. When you get to my house, get Preacher to get a hold of the other Rangers. They'll help you out more than enough."

"Okay. Thanks for the advice, Auron." Ruby said and three of them stepped into the airship.

"Hey Auron, can I talk to you for a minute?" Jaune asked before he followed.

"Sure. What is it?"

"How are you dealing with it? Y'know… Pyrrha…" He asked quietly.

Auron sighed. "The truth is… not well. She was my best friend an' I just can't accept it. It wasn't her time. Every time her name is said now, I can hardly hold myself together." He answered and his hands started shaking.

"Then how are you so calm?" Jaune asked him.

"When my dad died, it took me weeks to get my head focused. I wasn't calm then, I ain't calm now. I just kept this face because my mom needed it. She needed me to be brave. I was scared outta my mind though. An' now I am again."

"So you just hid it?"

"I did, at least until a week before I left. I broke down an' all of that came outta me. She was way stronger than me about it. I've been lettin' it out when it came since Pyrrha died. Hell, if it came now, I'd be cryin' right in front of you… I guess I _am_ gettin' a bit better with it. My hands are still shakin' though."

"What do I do?" Jaune asked and held the circlet in his right hand.

"Look… if you make yourself hard, you make yourself brittle. Don't try an' act tough with it. Just let it out when you need to. Talk with your team about it. That's all I can say."

There was a silence for a few moments while they were each thinking back to their separate times with the Invincible Girl. Auron missed the few times they were able to hang out as friends in Sanctum, before she was hounded by companies vying to be her sponsors. He always liked to be around someone that was friendly as can be and could fight like the devil was after them. That was exactly what Pyrrha was and he knew that well.

Jaune thought back to all the times she had pushed him to be better. Better at schoolwork. Better at combat. Better at leadership. He remembered every moment he spent with her as he pressed his fingers to his lips.

"When mom got poisoned… I didn't know what to do," Auron breathed deeply through his nose and looked at the sky, "When she was in the hospital, my mind just went through every memory I had of her. It was just constant worryin' until the docs said she was gettin' better," He felt tears welling in his eyes as he tried to blink them away,

"With dad… Oum, we were all in a wreck. We knew he wouldn't make it but we all still had that hope. It's like with us an' Pyrrha. We just hoped that she was alright… but she wasn't…" He sighed and lowered his gaze to the ground.

"I wish we had more time." Jaune swallowed the lump in his throat and closed his eyes.

"You care about her a lot… don't you?" Auron asked.

"Yeah… Now, I know that I love her… You don't know what you have until it's gone," Jaune felt tears welling in his eyes and took an unsteady breath. "She kissed me right before she went and fought Cinder… I never noticed she loved me before."

"You care if I hold her circlet for a bit?" Auron asked, knowing that the request sounded strange.

"Y-yeah, sure." Jaune said and untied it from his belt, then handed it to Auron.

He took it and ran his fingers along its bronze surface. "She loved you?" Auron asked.

"I was so stupid… Now that I look back, every sign was there and I just completely ignored them because I was so damn stupid. She wanted to get away from the fame and I didn't even know who she was when we met… I guess that's why."

"Hell, I never even thought about any o' that with her," Auron said and a tear fell on the circlet. He wiped it off and looked up from it. "She was a person I trained to beat, an' she was my best friend back then. All that respect… I guess I thought of her more as another sister more than anything."

"How was she back then?"

"Same as always. Nice as she could be, fought like hell when she needed to, just the same," Auron gave a small grin as he took a shaky breath, "Her hair was a bit shorter…" He handed the circlet back to Jaune and he held it in his hands.

"Y'know, she dared me to eat ghost peppers before." Auron sai with a larger grin.

"Really? Aren't those supposed to be the hottest thing to eat?" Jaune asked.

"Not _the_ hottest, but pretty damn hot."

"And Pyrrha dared you? The same Pyrrha that wouldn't hurt anyone unless they hurt her friends?"

"She was apologizin' all over the place after someone else got put in the infirmary for eatin' a bite o' one."

Jaune grunted a bit as a small grin tugged at his lips. "Yeah… that's the Pyrrha we know… She was the first person that ever believed in me… she helped me a lot since we were put on the same team. When I came to Beacon, I never even went to a combat school," He said and gripped the circlet hard.

"I told her I faked my transcripts and she just offered to help me for nothing. Almost every night, we'd go on the roof of the dorms and she'd train me. Never getting impatient or annoyed and she just always gave me an encouraging smile that I've never had. She helped me so much… s-so much…" He looked down and tears started dropping to the ground, "And I couldn't do a damn thing to help her…"

Auron shook his head at that. "I think you did good considerin' what happened. You done what you could an' got some help to her… Jace might not have stopped that arrow, an' Ruby might not have saved her…" Auron looked at Jaune and nodded, "If you didn't show up when you did, she wouldn't have even got help an' we'd all probably be dead."

Jaune looked at Auron and gave a small nod. "I just wish I could've been there."

"Don't blame yourself for it, man," Auron said and took a deep breath, "Preacher blames himself for what happened to dad. Hell… I kinda blame myself for it too…" He shook his head and looked up again, "Stuff like this can't be helped. It's damn hard, I know, but you just gotta move forward."

"Thanks, Auron." Jaune said and looked looked at the circle on his belt.

"Don't mention it. I think that you oughtta be the one to carry her spirit with you," Auron smiled a bit and looked over to Jaune as his eyes shined with tears, "She was the one that believed in you, right? Then you're just like Jace an' his family. You should be her livin' legacy."

Jaune looked back to him and tilted his head just a bit. "Me? What about you? You've known her longer than me."

"'Cause she loved you. An' like you said, she trained you an' pushed you. You're the one that should take that an' carry on for her. I mean yeah, we'll all carry her memory with us, but you're the one that she wanted to love an' no one else. That's gotta be your job."

Jaune looked down as he let Auron's words sink in. "Huh… I never thought I would be anyone's legacy. I-umm… I'm gonna get going. See you later."

"See ya, man. Y'all stay safe."

* * *

"Ow…" Jace mouthed out as he hit the floor.

"I got ya," Auron said and lifted Jace back up easily, "Any change?"

"My legs feel less like noodles. I hope I don't have to deal with this anymore." Jace answered and sat down.

"Hey Alyss, think you can use your semblance on his legs?" Raine asked in curiosity.

"I don't know, it's worth a try." Alyss said and walked over to him.

"Anything that'll keep me from smacking my face into everything is welcome." Jace said while Alyss put her hands to his legs.

She pulsed her semblance and ran her hands up and down the length of his legs for a few minutes. From his thighs to his knees, calves, and feet. She took a deep breath as she finished.

"Alright. Try it now." She said and stepped away.

Jace moved his legs around for a moment before he stood. He stayed there easily while not moving, just keeping his knees straight. After a few moments, he took a step forward and didn't feel his leg give out, so he took another step, then another. It was uneasy still, but he made it to the opposite side of the room.

"And now I have to get used to walking again," Jace said dryly and shrugged, "But hey, I can walk again."

"Good, now I shouldn't have to pick you up again." Auron said.

"You _will_ be helping me get back in shape though." Jace replied and walked back to his bed slowly.

"I'm fixin' you food, what else do you want from me?" Auron asked jokingly and shook his head.

"That's good for now." Jace answered with a grin

"Still though, we _do_ need to train as soon as you're ready. I want to get to helping Ruby and the others as soon as we can." Raine said.

"Yeah, we'll help them. I doubt we can do much with finding Cinder, but we could at least watch their backs." Jace replied and sat down on the bed.

"Just focus on getting better," Alyss said and went to kiss him, "They'll be alright for now."

"Yeah, and while I lay in bed I can at least make my swords." Jace replied and made an earth claymore.

"Well, I'm gonna go make some food now," Auron said and turned toward the door, "You can walk now. I ain't bringin' it to ya."

"I'll be there, don't worry." Jace said and made another sword.

* * *

"Hey Guys… I'm back." Jace said as he knelt in front of his family's headstones.

"It's been about five months, but to me it's like it was only a few weeks… I've been in a coma," Jace sighed and closed his eyes, "Beacon is gone… Some woman caused everything to go horrible. Grimm, White Fang and Crimson Lance attacked Vale. Apparently, Torchwick hacked Atlas' Knights and Paladins and they attacked us. My friend Jack is in a coma too. No way to know if he'll wake up. And my friend Pyrrha… she died there."

Jace looked toward Genesis' headstone and sighed sadly. " _Standoff_ is still there. When Auron got me, he said it was stuck in the ground and he couldn't budge it. I'll be back there sometime and I'll get it back for you… I know I can't fight past all those Grimm to get it, not even with my team. But when we take back Vale, when we take back Beacon, that's my goal. I'll get _Standoff_ back."

"It was nice to come here again…" Jace said and stood up, "I need to get back to training and exercising. When I'm ready, we're going to Mistral to watch our friends' backs. I'll come back before we go, though. See you later."

He walked from the headstones back to where his team waited. He materialized a burn claymore and nodded to them.

"Let's head back now." He said and they started back down the path.

Jace needed to train with fighting Grimm again, that's part of the reason they came out to the clearing. It helped build his muscles back up even more along with constant exercising when back at the house.

The snow fell lightly to the ground as they walked. What was left of Auron's duster kept him warm, it sleeves were torn almost to shreds and he just cut them off completely, along with the bottom part being torn and singed as well. He still had Kain's mask tied to his belt. Raine's cloak still did well for her. Alyss wasn't bothered by it too much as she kept her aura pulsing through her. Jace had the burn dust in him, which helped him a great deal in keeping the cold from him.

With the higher Grimm activity since the Vytal Tragedy, they didn't wait long for the monsters to show up, even in Solitas. Jace only dealt with one at a time for now while Alyss, Raine, and Auron kept most of them away.

Jace practiced with summoning his swords as he did when he first tried making them, getting his balance worked out again and and working in dust blasts in his attacks as well. To make sure nothing has malfunctioned, he used _Ebon_ every so often, blasting Grimm down as they came at him.

They arrived at the house after an hour or two of training and took a break for a bit while they tried to come up with what to do next.

"I'm thinking that tomorrow we can train against each other. Get used to fighting other people for when we get to Mistral." Jace suggested and put his arm around Alyss' shoulders.

"What, like all of us against each other or teams?" Auron asked.

"Maybe over the next few days we can keep mixing it up. All vs all, me and Alyss vs you and Raine, partners vs partners, me and you vs Alyss and Raine, anything really." Jace answered.

"I think that could work." Raine agreed.

"Just don't go easy against your girlfriend there." Auron said.

Jace gave him a glance, then looked to Alyss. "I won't. I don't expect you to go easy on me either." He said to her.

"I'm gonna give it my best shot." She answered and grinned.

"Oh, and Raine," Jace said and got the apprentice's attention, "I doubt we'll be fighting any Rangers, so-"

"Fine, I won't use my cloak." She said and rolled her eyes.

* * *

"Motherfucker, forgot you can fly now…" Auron mumbled to himself after Jace used his semblance to fly in the air from his strike.

Auron used his semblance and launched himself after Jace with a pillar. Jace blocked the attack with his earth claymore and knocked Auron back to the ground, then dove after him. Jace went for a strike but Auron blocked the attack with his armguard, then struck out with his sword, hitting Jace in the gut.

Jace deactivated his semblance and nodded to the larger boy. They ran toward each other again, Jace went for a side cut while Auron went for an underhand cut. The blades met and locked for a few seconds while Auron took out a revolver. Jace took out his pistol as well and they fired at each other, separating their swords and striking again with them, causing sparks to fly and melt snow from the ground.

Auron knocked Jace's claymore to the side and struck at his torso multiple times. Before Jace could bring his sword back, he started to hear beeping from his scroll.

"I'm done." He said and Auron stopped.

"Good fightin'. Now, I gotta go find-" Auron was blasted back into a tree with a loud thud, then started hearing beeping from his own scroll.

"Fuckin' never mind then. Good shot Raine!" Auron called out through the trees.

"I take it you took care of Alyss?" Jace asked and noticed his girlfriend walking toward them.

"Yeah, she did. That was fun." Alyss said and stood next to him.

"Let's head back to the house." Jace said and the group started walking.

* * *

"Those wings just make me really tired…" Jace said as he and Alyss were laying on his bed.

"It's a new thing. You just have to train with it I guess." Alyss replied and sighed happily from laying against him.

Jace gave a sigh as he thought about it more. "I still don't like it. It's gonna take some getting used to."

"You'll get through it," Alyss said and lifted her head to kiss him, "I know you will."

Jace smiled and kissed her as well. "I think that might help."

"We're all here for you, just remember that." Alyss said and leaned her head against his shoulder again.

Jace smiled more and kissed her between her furry ears. "And I can't thank you guys enough."

Alyss purred deeply and looked up at him. "You have a _really_ good habit of doing that." She said and kissed him again.

"I know…" Jace said and kissed between her ears once more, "Gods, seeing you happy makes everything better for me too."

"If that's the case…" She started and started kissing him again.

She didn't stop, and never finished her statement.

And Jace returned the kiss with pleasure.

* * *

"So this is what you've been working on for a month?" Alyss asked as Jace showed his team what he did to one of _Titan's_ cases.

"Yeah, it is," Jace said and placed _Twin Fang_ and _Carnage_ inside of _Titan's_ left case.

He closed them up and smiled as the compartment shut smoothly. "I'll either take one or both with me. They'd help out a lot."

"Hell, if they'll fit just take both," Auron suggested and shrugged, "It'll help us."

"I think I might make a weapon sometime now. Still not sure though." Jace said and left the weapons inside of the case

"Yeah, I'm thinkin' about doin' somethin' with my armguard too." Auron said and thought about it.

"So, we're supposed to be going out to get new clothes right?" Raine asked.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that," Jace said and shrugged, "Everyone ready then?"

Everyone nodded, then Jace and Alyss hopped on _Titan_. They strapped their helmets on and rode it from the garage. Auron opened the new door on his truck and sat in it, placing his rifle on the gun rack on the window as he did. Raine did the same for the added two with _Amaranth_ and _Shagahod_.

After they were ready, the team went towards the city.

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: And there was Jace's recovery. Everything from when he woke up to close to their departure from Atlas, which will be the start of the next chapter. Like last chapter, it spanned a few months. And like I said, if I drew that out and separated it all, then it would be well over one hundred chapters. It runs long enough as it is, I think.**

 **Hopefully I did well with it.**

 **See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	46. Chapter 45: Riding the Waves

**Riding the Waves**

"I'm heading out now guys." Jace said as he stood at the headstones.

He wore gray jeans and dark-brown boots now, along with a red T-shirt under Genesis' old sleeveless coat that he left behind when he and his team were there before the tournament. He wore a full glove on his left hand with silver index and middle fingers, the rest was black. He enjoyed the feeling immensely to be able to feel the fabric of the glove with his prosthetic. On his right hand and wrist was a black, fingerless glove and a long, black wristguard made of metal. Two things that remained the same from his old outfit were his necklaces and the spaulder on his right shoulder. Surprisingly, those had only been slightly scorched rather than completely destroyed.

"I'm taking _Carnage_ and _Twin Fang_. If we're gonna be helping Ruby and the others out, we'll need them for the Crimson Lance. I'll take care of them. No telling how long this'll take so I might be gone for a while,"

Jace looked back to his team who were waiting patiently for him. "I'm gonna go now. I'll be back as soon as I can. Bye guys."

He stood and walked back to his team. Raine wore a pair of brown cargo pants and a new dark-green combat vest with multiple pouches under her cloak. Alyss still kept her outfit mostly the same with the corset, vest and the hand stockings, but she wore a pair of dark-purple jeans with her flag hanging from her new, wider belt. A clip on the side of the belt held her oakleaf emblem in metal, a gift from Jace.

He had made one for each of his team as well. Raine's emblem was displayed on the side of her belt as well and Auron's was large and was on the front of his black-metal chestplate.

His change seemed the most drastic. His hair was the same length as before and he had grown his beard out. It was trimmed short until it reached his chin, but just under his bottom lip was shaved as well. On his upper lip, a small bit was shaved off just under his nose, leaving the rest of his facial hair as it was. He had forgone most color for black. His jeans, shirt, duster, armor, and new bandanna were all black. The bandanna completely covered the top of his head. The only color he had was the red on his armguard.

His reasoning was simple. "I'll wear it for all the ones who believed Oum was on their side. I'll wear it for anyone that has to go through their own hell. I ain't gonna wear color until everything's straightened out in this damn world." He had said when the others had questioned him.

"You guys ready to go?" Jace asked them. They all nodded and they turned to leave.

"You sure you don't wanna call an' ask Tyr if they'd lend a hand?" Auron asked Jace.

"I'm sure. I don't want them to fall behind in their schoolwork just so they can help in Mistral." Jace answered.

"You know Tyr wouldn't care."

"I know, but _I_ do. I don't want something bad to happen to them just because I asked them to help."

Auron nodded in understanding. "Alright. If you're sure, then let's get outta here."

* * *

They arrived at some docks on the southern coast within the next couple days. It was one of the larger port villages that brought in more cargo by water than the other few. The benefits of that included heating pipes running under the sidewalks and streets, and throughout the homes, businesses, and warehouses.

Ruby and the others had taken the last airship out of Atlas. With the recent fears, Atlas had halted citizen airship travel. The only reason it was allowed to leave was because it was originally from Mistral in the first place. They still had supplies coming in and going out, but very rarely now. They also found that people were also hesitant to send many ships out with the Grimms' increase in activity. In return for a favor, one man would take them to Patch on his ship.

It was as simple as catching a thief. The captain said that someone had been sneaking around, stealing from multiple people. It was a confusing situation because very little had been stolen, only a bit of food and water. The captain had caught wind of the thief's plan to rob his warehouse as team JKDW arrived at the small, coastal village. They waited until nighttime to find him. With three members of the team with near-perfect night vision and one apprentice Ranger, it wouldn't be too difficult.

Auron sat in a chair near the man's office and pretended to be sleeping, keeping his eyes closed to prevent the streetlight near him from bothering them. He knew he really didn't need to do anything. The thief would probably think he was some lazy guard the old man hired.

The others waited silently a bit away from the area. Jace and Alyss played the part of tourists looking around and enjoying the night's sky while Raine sat on top of a small shack to keep an eye over the area. Jace glanced around and saw someone wearing a black outfit moving slowly to Auron's location.

"Hey Raine, I see someone sneaking toward the warehouse." Jace whispered lowly through his scroll.

"Give me a second… Alright, I see him. We'll wait for him to do something before _we_ do." Raine whispered back.

"Y'know, this is actually pretty nice," Alyss started and held Jace's hand, "I'm enjoying just walking around at night. The heating pipes make it so comfortable."

"Me too. It's nice to have something pleasant before we get to Mistral," Jace replied and glanced back to the thief. "Oum knows this is the last bit we'll get for awhile."

He was now crouching past boxes and stopped when he saw Auron. He waited a few moments, watching Auron to make sure he was asleep, then moved toward a door to the old man's warehouse. He started to pick the lock when Raine made her move. She crept silently toward him, letting her training come into play as she slowly ghosted through the shacks and stands. After a minute, she arrived behind him and waited until he got the door open, which took a few minutes.

"Please let there be something better than bread in here…" The thief whispered and opened the door.

"So," Raine said and grabbed the collar of his shirt, startling him and making him jump, "What brings you here?"

"Hey! Let go of me!" He yelled and spun around, then he went to kick at her from surprise.

She caught his leg and pushed her other hand against his chest, knocking him down. She turned him over and held his arm tightly behind his back. He tried to break out of her grasp but Raine poked her fingers forcefully against the pressure point in the middle of his shoulder blades. He immediately stopped struggling as he yelped in pain.

"I got him, someone let Connor know." Raine said through her scroll.

"Alright, tie him up I guess." Jace said and went to call the captain.

"You get 'im?" He asked when he answered.

"Yep, he's here."

"I'm on my way. Keep 'im there." Connor said and quickly ended the call.

Auron stood and went toward where Raine held the thief. "You probably could've done this yourself." He said to Raine as he glared at the thief.

"Probably." She replied and finished tying his fingers and wrists together.

"You basically _did_." Alyss said

It took half an hour before Connor showed up with a frowm on his face, directed at the thief. He wore a black skullcap on his head covering his graying brown hair. He also wore dark blue work pants and a thick gray jacket, along with a pair of thick gloves and insulated boots.

"Alright. You kids go get some rest. Be back here in the mornin' an' I'll get you to Patch." He said and the team went towards the inn.

* * *

"What'd you do with that thief?" Jace asked after they got their vehicles on the ship.

"Turns out the little shit's your age, maybe a year younger. He's sixteen." Connor said and leaned against the side of the ship.

"Well, I'm seventeen. I guess a year younger is right," Jace replied, "I'm guessing he had an excuse for what he tried?"

"He apparently got kicked outta his house in Atlas an' he's been tryin' to get by."

"Kicked out? As far as excuses go, that's a good one. I guess that's why only food and water was stolen," Jace sighed, "What are you gonna do about him?" He asked quietly.

"Well hell, I gave 'im a job workin' for me!" He said with a large grin, causing Jace to open his eyes wide in shock.

"Even though he tried to steal from you?"

"He's gotta pay some way don't he? The law probably wouldn't do anything to 'im with all this talk o' war, plus it's gettin' the kid off the streets an' doin' somethin'. Keeps 'im from tryin' to steal from others," Connor looked to Jace with a raised eyebrow, "You got a problem with it?"

"No!" Jace said quickly and shook his head, "It's just that I didn't expect it. I know what it's like to have to live on the street. I had to try the same thing. Got the shit knocked outta me for it once."

"Ah. Sorry to hear that. Anyway, he'll be workin' for me, loadin' supplies on the ship when we hit land."

"It's good that you're doing that for him." Jace said with a small smile.

"It ain't nothin'. Poor kid needed something to get 'im up on his feet."

"What's his name?"

"Alex Storm. He wasn't too keen on sayin' his last name," He glanced over to Jace and saw his gaze locked forward as his left hand bent the metal of the railing, "Hey, you don't look too happy about that name either. What's that about?"

"Storm…" Jace said lowly, "That… that used to be my last name before I changed it for the person that actually took care of me."

"Wait wait wait… You don't think this kid might be your brother, do you?"

"I don't know. I know people can have the same last names but… I wouldn't even know how to tell."

"Maybe if he sees somethin' familiar in your face? I wouldn't know. Wanna talk to 'im sometime?"

"Maybe in a couple days. Maybe I can find out what to say to him."

"I'll arrange it, then. What're you headin' to Patch for exactly? If you don't mind me askin'."

"Visiting a friend. She lost her arm and my team thinks I might be able to help her out." Jace replied and brought up his left arm.

"I uh… I don't see nothin' wrong with it." Connor said in confusion.

"It's a prosthetic. Synthetic skin." Jace explained.

"Oh. Hell, it looks pretty real to me. I guess that's why the railin's bent up now," The older man shook his head and looked outward over the water, "Were you all there when the invasion happened?"

"Yeah… but that's not why I have it. We were in the colosseum when it started. I was in a coma for about four months after it."

"Shit… all o' that must've been hell," Connor shook his head, "I'll get everything locked in and then we'll set out," He said and went to make sure the vehicles were secure, "Oh, and by the way, name's Connor Stone. Didn't say my last name when we met."

"You wouldn't happen to be related to Viktor Stone would you?" Jace asked in curiosity.

Connor turned and gave a grin. "My cousin. You know him?"

"Back when I was in Vale for the first time, General Ironwood took me onto Viktor's airship. He took me back to Atlas for my arm." Jace replied and sighed at the memory that was so far behind him now.

"Same rule applies here." Connor said and walked off, leaving Jace alone.

Jace looked out toward the waters, leaning over the side of the ship as he stared. What would he even say to Yang? He didn't really know. The only thing he knew that might help her is to tell her what helped him. From what he heard, he didn't know if that would work. Before, she was happy, carefree, energetic and just a bright flame of life.

Now, with what Ruby told them, Yang was depressed and broken. Nearly a shell of who she used to be. It made Jace and his team sad to hear that was how she was now. Jace would try though, because he promised that he'd be there for them, to follow them through heaven and hell if he could. It had been a few months since he had seen Ruby and longer since Yang had seen her. Maybe things had changed for the better?

 _"I failed once… I don't wanna fail again."_ He said to himself over and over in his mind.

He knew her pain. He lost his whole arm because of Emerald. Yang lost her arm because of what Emerald caused with her illusions as well. Jace hoped he could say something to help her, but he just didn't know where to start.

The ship shook as the engines started and moved the vessel forward, away from the docks and from the cold of Solitas. Jace felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Alyss. He smiled a bit, feeling his mind ease as she stepped next to him and held his hand.

"Hey there, kitten." He greeted quietly.

"Hey. I saw you standing alone," She said and rubbed her head into his shoulder, "You look like you have something on your mind."

"I don't know what to say to her. I have no damn idea what I _can_ say."

Alyss sighed. "I… I really don't know. What helped you when you lost your arm?"

"What dad told me. That, and you." Jace said and smiled at her.

"Oh, you're just being cheesy on purpose." She laughed a bit.

"Not my fault if it's true," Jace said and sighed again, "Maybe if Yang could see Weiss… but I don't know."

"Think we'll get some good views out here?" Alyss asked after a few moments.

"Of the water or the sky?" Jace asked back.

"The sky. I'm not a big fan of the sea. Let's go sit somewhere." She said and led Jace to a bench near the vehicles.

"We should get to see the stars good since we'll be away from all the lights. And I'm hoping to see some good sunsets." Jace said as they sat down.

"That would be nice." Alyss responded and leaned her head on his shoulder.

They sat in silence for a bit, listening to the waves crash against the ship and the sounds of the ship's crew working on different things. In their moment alone, Jace started to wonder where he'd be if he never got the chance to meet Alyss.

 _"I wouldn't be happy at all right now."_ He thought to himself and leaned his head onto hers.

 _"I know I wouldn't be dealing with all of this too well."_

He was jolted from his thoughts when they heard a yell from the other side of the small ship.

"We got Wretches after us!" One of the crew members yelled.

They could see at least fifteen in the water and swimming fast after the ship.

One jumped onto the ship and snarled at the crewman. Its bone plating went all along its spine with spikes and spread out across its head. It had long and jagged teeth that would completely tear into a man if they weren't careful. Its arms had webbing that were thin as paper, spreading from the sides of its claws to its torso. They weren't as large as a Beowulf, not this group at least, and they seemed young, but were still as deadly as any Grimm.

Jace brought out _Ebon_ and shot the Wretch in the head, then stood with the crewmen who were equipped with simple shotguns and axes. Raine was on the highest point she could be and fired on the Grimm still in the water. Alyss was at the side of the ship doing the same. Auron came up next to them and pulled _Smoke & Preacher_ from their holsters and stood ready.

"It's good to know you kids aren't gonna be dead weight." One of the crewmen said to them.

"If anything's gonna be dead weight, it'll be these damn Grimm." Auron replied and shot at a smaller one that jumped on the ship.

"Where the hell's the greenhorn?" One of them asked.

"Still sleepin' in an actual bed. He needs the rest." Another replied.

They shot down the Wretches before they stepped far towards anything. Raine kept most of them in the water with her rifle and Alyss fired a constant stream of dust rounds from _Soul Leaf_ at them as well. These weren't well known Grimm like the land dwelling ones, so their weaknesses were relatively unknown to anyone that would come across one. All except for one.

They had to try anything, so why not bolt dust?

Jace reloaded his pistol with a magazine of the yellow dust rounds, watching the lines on it light up with gold. He shot one Wretch in the left leg and the bolt dust worked wonders. The lightning arced through the Grimm and its body convulsed and fell to the deck.

"Bolt dust works." Jace said and shot at the other Wretches.

Some of the larger ones proved more resistant while other smaller ones gave the same result as the first. Auron still used the same dust as before, dealing good enough damage to them with the large amounts he packed into the rounds. Raine did great damage as well to the ones still in the water, hitting them directly in the heads with her shots. Alyss still kept a good amount of them suppressed in the water, at least until she ran out of ammunition in _Soul Leaf_ and had to reload.

The Wretches took the few-second opportunity to launch themselves from the water, each of the remaining twelve landing on the ship in front of them all. The crewmen prepared themselves for the fight and brought out their heavy, single-bladed axes.

Raine launched her twelve arrows in rapid succession and hit them all in the middle of their unarmored chests. The crewmen were startled when she seemed to come out of nowhere next to them with her bow drawn. The Wretches dropped dead and started to evaporate when Raine pulled her arrows back to her.

"That all of 'em?" Auron asked as he reloaded his revolvers.

"It looks like it," One of the crewmen answered and shook his head, "You kids know how to shoot, I'll give ya that."

"Well, the only thing that'll protect you is the weapon in your hands," Alyss started and stood next to Jace, "If you have a weapon and no skill to use it, it's like giving a fish a bicycle."

"Girl's pretty smart." One of them remarked.

"You're a lot more than smart." Jace whispered and kissed Alyss' cheek.

She smiled and looked up at him. She opened her mouth to reply but a loud, gurgling roar shook them from the momentary peace.

A larger aquatic Grimm jumped from the water and landed on the ship in front of them. It was one that was larger than a Beowulf. It's mouth and jaw were elongated with long rows of razor-sharp teeth. It stood upright and had large arms and legs, with three long claws on each hand. Its bone plating covered its head and back of its neck, extending down and to the sides of the spine as well as down the length of its long tail. It also had dark-black scales all along its body, giving it an extra bit of protection.

"Aw shit, what were these called?" Auron asked as he stood with _Last Call_ in its sword form.

"Krooks, I think?" A crewman replied.

"Well, you guys get back and we'll take care of it." Jace said and materialized a bolt claymore, drawing confused stares from the crew.

The Krook roared again and dove for Auron, rearing its right arm back as it went. Auron stepped to the side and let it go right past him, blasting it with his revolvers as Jace arrived, cutting at its outstretched arm and causing it to roar again. It struck out at him with its other arm and Raine stepped in to slice at it, chopping its claws off. Alyss ran up and stabbed _Soul Leaf_ under the Krook's torso, catching it in the stomach and causing it to step back in pain.

It roared again as team JKDW stood in a line in front of it. Jace ran forward and pulsed his aura through the claymore, making it crackle with lightning, and sliced at the Krook. It blocked Jace's attack with its right arm, but Jace knew how to deal with its scales now. He sent more aura through his sword and caused it to charge with more lighting, then cut again. The Grimm blocked again but was met with another result.

Jace's sword sheared through it easily as the bolt dust gave the blade its high frequency. It was one good thing he learned from his brief fight with Hawk.

The Krook staggered back and roared again in pain. It swung at Jace with its other arm and Jace ducked under it. He rose back up and cut at its shoulder as it was exposed and cut it halfway through before he ran out of energy. The blade stuck in its bone and it rammed Jace away with a headbutt. He fell to the ground and breathed deeply to catch his breath as his team stepped in.

Alyss was the first one to strike as she spun _Soul Leaf_ around, bringing the blade hard into the gash made by Jace's attack. She cut its arm the rest of the way off and it snapped its teeth toward her head. Raine flashed by and brought her blade into its mouth, slicing its jaw off. It swung its body around and caught them both off guard by striking with its tail, sending them both flying into the crewmen as bowling them over.

"You're just pushin' to piss us off, ain't ya?" Auron muttered with a scowl as he ran forward with _Last Call_ in its blade form. The Krook swung its tail at him and he jumped up above it. His feet came crashing down hard into its tail and he sent the tip of his blade piercing through it, pinning it to the deck. Auron pulled both his revolvers back out and ducked under its torso, aiming the guns upward. He pulled the triggers and blasted all barrels into the roof of its mouth, blasting the top of its head apart. He rolled backwards and came to his feet as it crashed to the deck. He reloaded his revolvers and retrieved his sword as Jace came up to a knee.

He was glad his team was so quick to react and back him up after he lost his energy.. It seemed that by completely charging a bolt dust sword, it drained his energy greatly. It would most likely be the same if he did it with any other dustblade as well. He rose back to his feet after a few moments and walked back toward the others, seeing the cautious stares cast by the crew at him. He sighed and went to sit down next to their vehicles.

 _"Forgot that most people don't know about that."_ He thought to himself as he sat down with a sigh of exhaustion.

He glanced over and saw his team coming to him with worried looks on their faces. Alyss sat next to him as they arrived and held his hand. "Everything alright, sweetie?"

Jace shook his head and leaned back. "I just forgot that almost no one outside us and our friends know I have dust in me. I saw their stares."

"Don't worry about it, Jace." Alyss replied as she squeezed his hand softly, calming his mind a large bit.

"Yeah, I doubt they'll do anything about it since we just killed a Krook for 'em." Auron said and leaned against his truck.

"I guess you're right. But still… it just worries me what people might try." Jace said with a short sigh.

"You've got us to back you up in case something _does_ happen though." Raine assured him.

Jace nodded as Alyss leaned against him and laid her head on his shoulder. Jace relaxed more and leaned his head against hers as well.

"I'm gonna go walk around." Auron said and walked off.

"You know, you two make a good couple." Raine remarked and walked with Auron.

Jace and Alyss sat on the bench for quite some time. Jace _did_ worry about what the crewmen would think or do, they gave him very cautious stares after he demonstrated his ability.

He knew that a person that infuses dust into themselves were considered insane, to put it lightly. It was a very taboo subject in the Kingdoms. Most anyone who tried it found themselves crystallized and frozen on the spot, the ones that survived were stuck in comas and their bodies slowly started to crystallize over time. Jace learned that and more from when he was escaping with Genesis from Grigori's lab. It was something that no one should want to do to themselves, but Jace had no choice in the matter.

It seemed like time sped up on Remnant as the sun set over the waters. Jace and Alyss looked on at the beautiful sight. The orange glow of the setting sun reflecting off the ripples and waves in the water was such a soothing sight to Jace's mind. That, along with the feeling of his girlfriend against him, helped him almost forget what the crewmen might think of him.

"If it'll make you feel better, you can pet behind my ears again. I've heard that it can make people feel better." Alyss said to him.

"You sure about that with all the crew members around?" Jace asked.

"What they think doesn't matter to me right now. _You_ do."

"And you're still comfortable with it… Even after the invasion?"

Alyss nodded. "Around you guys, yeah. Especially you."

Jace chuckled a bit and looked up to the sky. "Yeah… I'm most comfortable when I'm with you too." He said and reached his hand up to pet her ears.

Alyss smiled and rubbed her head against his shoulder. "Can't help it if its true, huh?"

"Right…"

Jace sighed as his mind went from his thoughts before he started petting Alyss back to his conversation with Connor. "I… I might have a brother." He said quietly and Alyss moved away to look at him, causing him to stop his scratching.

"A brother? You mean by blood?" She asked and he nodded, "How did you find that out?"

"The thief that we caught. His name is Alex Storm. Connor said that he got kicked out of his house in Atlas."

"What are you gonna do?"

"Well… I don't know how it'll go, but… I'm gonna talk to him in a few days. Maybe he might be my brother or maybe he just has the same last name as _them_."

"What if he is?" Alyss asked softly.

"I honestly don't know… Maybe I can finally find out about my birth parents."

"Is it something you'd wanna do alone?"

"I… I don't know…"

They both stayed silent for half an hour. Jace resumed scratching between Alyss' ears after a few minutes as he tried to think over what to say to his possible brother, but he couldnt think of anything. He felt himself nearly drifting off to sleep as Raine and Auron walked back toward them.

"There ain't nothin' to do on this damn ship." Auron said and leaned against his truck.

"Get used to it," Raine started and jumped on the truck's hood to sit, "It'll be a month before we get to Patch."

"I don't mind as long as I get to see this view." Alyss said as they watched the sun.

* * *

 _"You wasn't skilled enough…"_

 _Jace heard the voice and looked around the black void he stood in._

 _"They died because you wasn't skilled enough…"_

 _"The hell's that supposed to mean!?" Jace yelled back at the darkness._

 _"Even with your power you couldn't save them… Your father or your brother… Or even Pyrrha."_

 _"You think I didn't try!?"_

 _"And you think you can help Yang?"_

 _"I don't know!"_

 _"You lost your arm because you didn't pay attention…"_

 _Jace looked to his left side and saw he didn't have his prosthetic. He tried to yell out but his scream was trapped in his throat. He clutched at his left shoulder and looked around the void in confusion and fear._

 _"You left Standoff there at Beacon!" The voice yelled with a deeper sound to it._

 _"No-"_

 _"Genesis' last bit of soul and you just left it there to rust!"_

 _"I can-"_

 _"You're not even trying to save it!"_

 _"The Grimm would kill me!"_

 _"What good are you!? Why don't you use the dust you have in you!"_

 _Jace tried to move forward, but his legs slowly started to crystallize. He stared in fear as the crystal started to cover his legs and waist._

 _"Maybe you won't even get the chance… maybe you'll just be a disappointment…"_

 _Those final word Jace could barely hear as the crystal started to cover his ears._

He opened his eyes and bolted straight up in the bed he shared with Alyss. He looked around the room and sighed in relief that the nightmare was over. He moved his limbs around and made sure he still had the prosthetic. He made sure Alyss was still asleep before he stood and walked from the room.

Jace walked slowly as he went towards the side of the ship, letting the cold air cool his body down from the sweat that covered him. He knew he could've just let the dust in him cool him off, but he wanted to walk and clear his head. He held his head in his hands and leaned over the side of the ship.

"Some brother I am." He said and sighed.

"You got a brother? Y'know, other than maybe Alex."

Jace turned and saw Connor walking up to him. "Yeah… Adopted brother… He died last year."

Connor stood next to him and looked out to the sea. "Always a bad thing to hear. What makes you a bad brother?"

"He gave me his sword before he died. A huge greatsword sword called _Standoff_. Back when Beacon fell and I was knocked into a coma… it was left there, just stuck to the damn ground." Jace replied and started to feel anger at the thought of _Standoff_ just rusting over.

"It ain't like it was your fault."

"I can't go back to get it… not with the Grimm that's infesting the school. I want to, but I just can't."

"I'm sure it'll still be there for a long time. So, what brings you out here?" Connor noticed Jace reach and hold his prosthetic.

"A nightmare… about everything that's happened to me."

"Speakin' o' that… you were crazy enough to infuse dust to your body?"

Jace gritted his teeth at the wording of what he asked. "Would you believe me if I told you it wasn't my choice?"

"I think I'd need some proof to that." Connor said and glanced at Jace with a raised eyebrow.

"You know about those kidnappings last year?" Jace asked and Connor nodded, "Me and my brother Genesis were some of them. They um… they ran experiments and put dust into us. Just… a lot of stuff happened in a couple months back then, I lost my arm, Gen and my dad in one night after we escaped. I killed the man that caused it… that won't happen again."

Connor looked at Jace with confusion, then shrugged it off. "If you're tellin' the truth an' it was against your will, then I'll believe you. I ain't gonna call you a liar about your family. You'd have to be some kind o' sick piece o' trash to lie about somethin' like that," He shook his head looked back toward the water, "Anyways, I'll make sure my crew don't do anything stupid. You guys might be kids, but you're Hunters and you could kick their asses."

"Thanks." Jace said as Connor walked away.

None of that helped ease Jace's mind of his worries. At least now he shouldn't have to worry about the crew trying to throw him off the ship. He still worried about the dust in his body. If he wasn't careful, he could possibly start to crystallize like those he'd read about and those in the facility. That possibility scared Jace more than what he thought would happen with the wings. Maybe if he had the book of dust he had found then he could read more on it, but he didn't have that chance.

His mind cleared of those horrible thoughts the more he thought rationally about it all, and he started to believe and hope it was a part of the Faunus DNA in him that gave him the wings in his semblance, or just something as simple as his semblance evolving. Small worries remained from that, but nothing compared to the thought of being crystallized and frozen. It scared him to the core.

"Can't sleep, huh?"

Jace turned and Auron was standing next to him. "Had a nightmare."

"Same here." They stood and leaned against the railing as the small waves crashed by the ship, filling the silence of night.

"It was about everything," Jace started as the cold air sent shivers through his body, "Being kidnapped, dad and Genesis… Pyrrha. I'm trying to stop… but I can't keep from blaming myself for them all now. How they died… if I was faster then I could've done something for Pyrrha. I… I watched her get shot with the arrow."

"I know she wouldn't blame you. Jaune don't, Ren don't, Nora don't, Ruby don't. Oum knows I don't. You did what you could, Jaune did what he could, an' Ruby did what she could. Pyrrha wouldn't hold it against any of you," Auron sighed and clenched his fist over the railing, "I told Jaune that he was like you. He's gotta be her legacy. She helped 'im out since they got put on a team. He was the one she loved. He needs to fight to keep her spirit alive, just like you do for your family."

"Y'know… I never expected something like that to come from you." Jace remarked silently.

"Times are changin'," Auron replied and held his head down. "My nightmare… damn. It was like I was back in Sanctum, talkin' with her like normal. Then, everything started fadin'. The chairs we were sittin' in, the table, the room… then she started turnin' to ash in front of me. I don't think I'll be able to rest easy knowin' that they couldn't find her body. She deserves to be buried… all damn good people deserve a burial when they pass."

"I definitely know how you feel about that." Jace said as he thought of his nightmare more. "I just can't help but feel that I should be trying to get _Standoff_ back."

"That what your nightmare was about too?"

"Yeah. That, and worrying what might happen with Yang, and…" Jace sighed and sent a small fireball toward the water through his hand. It hit the water and sizzled out as steam rose in the air. "And the dust."

"I don't know what to say about the dust or Yang, but _Jackhammer's_ still back there too. I want to go back an' get it… but I know I'd get killed if I try," Auron shook his head sadly, "You ain't alone on that."

"I know we'll take back Beacon. We'll have to wait until then," Jace sighed and straightened his back, "Let's just hope they aren't too rusted by the time we get there."

"Right."

"On top of all that… I might have a brother…" Jace said as he shook his head.

"A brother, huh? I bet that'll be awkward."

"Definitely… You heading back inside?" Jace asked.

"No… I'm gonna stay out here for a bit. I'd ask about the whole 'brother' thing, but I'm tired."

"Well, good night."

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: Our team is on their way to Patch. And we got to see two new Grimm. Wretches and Krooks. This is a one-time appearance from them. The Krooks are named after something from something I loved as a kid and still love now. If you can guess it, then you're awesome.**

 **Then, there's the fact that Jace could have a brother. You never know what can happen.**

 **And Jace will not just always overcharge a bolt dust sword to cut through things. Doing that takes a lot of energy to keep up. He'll just have to settle for the regular dustblades for now.**

 **There's a reason for the things that Auron has on. His new look is a reference to Johnny Cash's song, _Man in_ _Black_. **

**See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	47. Chapter 46: Burden of Promises

**Burden Of Promises**

For the next couple of days, Jace grew more nervous by the minute as he kept wondering if Alex was actually his brother. Today was supposed to be the day Connor would set up the meeting between the two. As he leaned against the railing of the ship, he couldn't help but think he should just let it go and forget about it. But a part of him told him to do it. It told him he needed to know for sure.

"Hey," Jace turned and saw Alyss coming up to him, "Connor said he has Alex in the bridge."

"I'm so nervous about this," Jace said with a groan, "I don't know what I should say to him."

"It's okay. Just relax and be calm." Alyss said and held his hand.

Jace snorted in laughter and shook his head. "What would your mind be like if you found out you might have a sister?"

"Same as yours right now."

Jace sighed and let out another short laugh. "Can you come with me? I know I won't do too well if I'm alone."

"Yeah. I won't leave you to be a nervous wreck." She kissed his cheek and gave an encouraging smile. "You can do this."

Jace took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay… let's go."

The two walked into the ship and went through the halls, then they went up a flight of stairs where they saw their teammates standing outside the door with Connor. "I can't imagine how you have to be feeling right now." Raine said to Jace.

"Same here. I don't know what to tell ya." Auron added.

"I just need to do it. I just need to find out." Jace said and gripped Alyss' hand tighter.

"Well if you'd quit yappin' an' go in there, you can find out sooner," Connor grinned and nodded to the door, "I'm sure Alex needs it too."

"Right. Better to get it over with." Jace said and opened the door to the bridge.

The young teen sat in a chair with an annoyed look in his eyes. He had short, dark-brown hair and dark-brown eyes. He was five feet and nine inches tall. He wore a thin, light-blue jacket over a white button-up shirt. There was an emblem of a skull with bat wings on the left breast of the jacket. On his wrists and shoulders he wore light, silver armor. On the underside of his left wristguard was a thin box the length of his forearm. He wore heavy, light-brown pants suited to the Solitas weather. They looked to be what miners typically wore. He had on a pair of black boots to complete his outfit.

Alyss' eyes went between Alex and Jace over and over as her mouth almost hung open. They looked eerily similar.

"Is anyone gonna tell me what I'm in here for-" Alex said in annoyance before he looked at Jace's face. His fists clenched and his body tensed before he got a closer look at him. He sighed in relief, "Thank Oum you're not him."

"I'm guessing I look like someone to you?" Jace asked.

"Yeah… You kinda look like the abusive piece of shit that _was_ my father."

Jace sighed and closed his eyes. "That makes things a bit easier, I guess."

"Makes what easier? What am I even doing here? I didn't do anything."

"Okay, look. Connor told me that you got kicked out of your house."

"Oh yeah… Umm… that was kind of a lie."

"What do you mean?"

"I ran away. I didn't tell Connor because I was afraid he'd take me back to _them_ ," Alex sighed, "They were both just so abusive. Every day they'd keep telling me I'm worthless and a mistake… I don't even know why they decided to have a kid. It started a few years ago when I started going to combat school. Maybe they wanted me to do something else… maybe they were pissed off because I decided to do what they were too afraid to. I don't know…"

"H-honestly, I hope you don't mind me saying this," He said to Alyss, "If they had their way, I'd be calling you a worthless animal right now. They always told me that the Faunus are barbaric animals. But no, I've met some friendly Faunus and they're nothing like what they said they were."

"If what I'm thinking right now is right…" Jace said and looked nervously at the teen sitting in the chair, "Then we might be brothers…"

"And they just… Wait a minute, what? How would we be brothers?" Alex asked in disbelief.

"Before I finally changed it last year, my last name was Storm. I was abandoned on the street when I was eight. And you said I kinda look like your father."

The understanding dawned on Jace. _"Fuck… I look like my father."_ He thought to himself.

"You both kinda look the same too." Alyss added.

"There's no damn way we can be related, is there?" Alex asked and shook his head, "So… we might have the same shit family?"

"By blood, maybe. I was able to find a new family a year after they abandoned me."

"Sounds nice…" Alex said lowly.

Jace narrowed his eyes a bit at him. "No… That year it really _wasn't_. I had to spend all that time just scraping by with what little I found. At least you had a house to live in until recently. You actually have skills to defend yourself where I didn't. It was hell-" Alyss gripped Jace's hand tighter and he sighed.

"I didn't mean anything like that… It's just that at least you had a loving family after awhile."

"Yeah… Sorry about that… My mind's kinda not functioning right with all this. Just… sorry…" Jace couldn't find anything to say.

"This is so fucking weird," Alex let out a nervous laugh, "I apparently have a brother and I don't even know what to say."

"It _is_ pretty weird…" Jace agreed, "How about this… Once we get to Patch and we take care of our business… we can try to get a DNA test to see for sure."

"Yeah, maybe we _should_ before we get carried away…"

"If we _are_ brothers, I'll be glad to accept you. We both had to deal with their abuse in different ways."

"That would be nice… Do you know their names?" Alex asked.

"No. I don't remember and I'd honestly rather not know," Jace replied and took a deep breath, "You're just another person I'll have to tell everything to."

"Tell what?"

"N-not now… I've already dealt with too much awkward conversations today. I'll tell you when we get the test done."

"That works, then. I guess I should tell Connor what really happened."

"He won't send you back. He'd probably be more pissed that you lied to him."

"That's just great, then…"

"I'm gonna go now. I think we both have a lot to think about." Jace said and turned to Alyss, "By the way, this is Alyss. My girlfriend."

"Um… good to meet you." Alex greeted her with a nervous smile.

"You too, Alex." Alyss greeted back with a warm, welcoming smile.

"You'll get to meet our team some other time," Jace said with a grin, "Without Raine tying you up, this time."

"I guess I'll look forward to it. Seeya later."

"Until then."

The two walked out of the bridge and saw the questioning stares. "I need some air. If you wanna talk, then we can outside." Jace said and the small group went out onto the deck of the ship. They went to sit around a table near the railing.

"You uh, find out anything?" Auron asked.

"They look… really alike. Like _really_." Alyss said to them.

"We're both on the same boat about it…" Jace said.

"I think Yang rubbed off on you with the puns." Raine remarked with a grin.

"Oh shut it. I didn't even mean that," Jace groaned and took a deep breath, "We both had abusive parents in some way, he looks like me and I apparently look like his father which I _really_ fucking hate because that might be my actual father…"

"That's gotta be a lot to take in." Connor remarked.

"He'll probably be talking to you sometime soon, Connor. He's got something to tell you himself," Connor nodded and looked back up to the bridge, "After I talk to Yang and hopefully help, we're gonna get a DNA test done to be sure."

"Wait, aren't those expensive?" Raine asked him, "How would you pay for it?"

"I'll do it. I don't care to," Connor offered and Jace opened his mouth to protest, "It ain't negotiable. Alex is part o' my crew now, an' you took down a Krook an' fought for us. I'm givin' somethin' to both of ya to find this shit out for sure. An' after what you told me, you deserve to know. Both of ya do."

Jace sighed and nodded. "Thanks, then."

* * *

"So this is Patch? It's quiet." Alyss remarked as the ship docked at the port.

"I only saw the forest and a cliff. It's nice to actually be in a town here." Jace said and the team stepped off the ship.

"Hey you four, listen up!" They heard Connor call from the ship, "We'll be docked for a week. Gotta refuel an' get supplies an' all that. Then we got that test. Either stay in the inn or come back to the ship when you sleep." He walked off after he said that, then team JKDW walked on toward the inn.

"I really hope that I can say something to Yang. I just wouldn't know what, though." Jace said as they made their way through the town.

"Yeah, from what Ruby said, Yang needs to hear something that'll help her." Raine said to him.

They walked on for thirty minutes until they came across the inn. It was simple looking, mostly wooden and with two stories to it. It had two large windows in the front and it was next to the docks, giving the patrons a perfect view of the sea. Jace walked in first followed by Alyss, Raine, then Auron. They immediately noticed the smell of cooked food, most likely the last of breakfast that morning, or the start of preparing lunch. The four walked up to the counter and were greeted by the innkeeper.

"Not often we get a team o' Hunters here. You here for a room, dinner, or a drink?"

"Do you know how to get to TaiYang Xiao Long's house?" Jace asked.

"Oh, Tai? Yeah, you go on down the road a ways and take a left right after the general store. It's through the forest a decent bit, so there might be some Grimm. It's probably a bad time to visit though."

"Yeah, we know." Alyss sighed and looked down.

"Well, you need anything else?"

"I'd say food would be good." Raine replied.

"Yeah, that would be pretty nice," Jace agreed, "Okay, we'll have breakfast or lunch, whichever you're fixing now."

The innkeeper nodded. "Alright. Coming right up."

* * *

Jace felt more and more nervous as they walked the path toward TaiYang's home. They weren't attacked by any Grimm while they made their way to the house, so they walked a little easier.

"It'll be okay, Jace." Alyss said, hoping to calm his nerves some.

"I really hope so." Jace replied.

He felt his mind ease a little at her words, but this was one thing that couldn't be helped with much. Jace ran his fingers through the beard he grew and shook his head. "I forgot to freaking shave."

"After those burns, it's good that you can at least grow your hair back." Raine said to him.

They finally arrived at Tai's house after two hours of walking. They walked up and Jace knocked on the door. It opened after a few moments and Tai's face looked at them in confusion and they heard their dog, Zwei, barking.

"I was wonderin' why Zwei got riled up. Didn't expect to see you again." He said and stepped out to greet them.

"Hey Tai, it's good to see you," Jace greeted back, "I never got to thank you for helping me."

Tai waved it off. "Don't mention it. You helped my daughters, so we're even."

"I'm pretty sure Qrow said the same thing," Jace said and motioned to the others, "This is my team. Auron, Raine, and Alyss." He introduced them.

"Well, it's nice to meet you three I guess. I'm TaiYang Xiao Long. Call me Tai," He introduced himself to the others, "What brings you all the way out here?"

"I heard about Yang," Jace said and Tai's expression dropped, "They think I might be able to say something to help her. You know that I know the pain of losing an arm."

"If that's the case then why didn't you come sooner?"

"I was in a coma for about four months. I trained for two months and it took a month to get here. I probably would've been here sooner if I could."

Tai nodded his head and stepped through the door. "Well, come on in. Take off your jackets or cloaks or whatever and stay awhile," The group nodded and followed Tai to the living room where they sat in chairs after they took their coats off, and Raine draped her cloak carefully over the back of her chair.

"So what've you been up to since you got to Vale?" Tai asked Jace.

"It was a month until I woke up. A few days later, General Ironwood got me back to Atlas for this arm. Then it took another week or two until initiation after me and Alyss got back. Then… the festival happened," Jace sighed as he held his left side.

"I flew to the top of Beacon Tower. I got wings from my semblance evolving, and I tried to help Pyrrha. I was knocked off the edge and went straight to the ground. Then _Standoff_ stabbed trough my side."

"How did you not die? That's a hell of a fall." Tai remarked and shook his head.

"Apparently my brother's aura went from the sword to me and that healed the wound on my side. Now I have an eye that changes from blue to green."

"That's a lot of stuff to deal with."

"I wouldn't be dealing with it well if it wasn't for Alyss, or my team." Jace held Alyss' hand tighter as he looked to his girlfriend.

Zwei walked up to them and looked at Jace as he tilted his head. Jace reached out and scratched the small dog between the ears. "Been a while since I've seen you too."

Zwei yipped happily at the recognition and went to lay at Tai's feet. "I take it you met Zwei before." He stated and reached down to pet the now-bundled form.

"Yeah, that was when Ruby and Qrow took me to sell some dust and buy some clothes. He jumped up on my chest when I was sitting down and leaning back in a chair. Made me feel better after having a bad nightmare," Jace replied, then looked to Alyss, "You still nervous around him?"

"Yeah…" She answered rather embarrassedly.

"Ah, he don't bite. He just gets excited," Tai said and looked back down to the dog, "When he's not bein' lazy."

"I remember a dog we had," Auron said and looked at Zwei with sadness in his eyes, "Little black dog that had this medium-long hair, some of it on his head was gray an' it went down in front of his right eye. Had 'im since I was born. He died when I was fifteen, hit me real hard at the time."

"Didn't you wanna talk to Yang?" Tai asked Jace, drawing him from the discussion of dogs.

"Oh… yeah. I'm kinda avoiding it because I really don't know what to say." Jace answered and looked down.

"You might as well get it out of the way." Raine said and patted him on the shoulder.

"When did you want to talk with her?" Tai asked, his expression looking sadder now.

"Whenever, I guess. How's she been?" Jace asked as he reluctantly stood up.

Tai stood and led Jace through the house and up the stairs. "She's been better than when she came back. When everything got settled down she wasn't good at all. Barely ate or got outta bed. For the past couple months, she's been out and doing chores around the house, but she had a relapse or whatever you'd call it a few days ago. She saw the news about Vale and Atlas and got to thinkin' about everything that happened. It just hit her again. I've been trying to get her a prosthetic but with the tower down, I can't get a hold of anyone. One of her teammates, Weiss I think her name was, got taken back to Atlas by her dad."

"Weiss is back in Atlas? I didn't know that."

"Yeah. And the other one, Blake, she's just gone. It hurt Yang a lot that she just left without a word. I hope you can help her out. Maybe seeing one of her friends'll lift her spirits some."

They came to a stop outside the door to her room and Tai knocked on it. "Hey Yang, you got a visitor."

"Who?" Yang asked after a moment of silence. Jace could barely recognize her voice through the door and through the sad sound of it.

"It's Jace, the boy that you helped." Tai responded to her.

"Come in."

Tai opened the door and led Jace in. Jace unconsciously clenched his left fist at the sight of her. It was the first time he'd seen her since Beacon and she _did_ only have one arm. She looked out the window as she sat in her bed. Her left leg was drawn up halfway to her chest and her hand was sitting at the top of her knee while her right leg was straightened out on the bed. She wore a pair of tan cargo pants and a brown jacket over an orange shirt. Only one of her bracers was sitting on the nightstand, gathering dust and with no sign of the other one.

Tai stepped out of the room and closed the door, leaving it cracked open slightly.

"Hey Yang…" Jace greeted sadly.

"So you got your prosthetic fixed up?" She asked monotonously.

"Y-yeah. Doctor Seabolte did it when I first woke up." He answered her.

"Ruby told me that you fell from the tower…"

"Yeah… I went to see if I could help Pyrrha after Jaune begged us to. I couldn't…"

"How did you even get up there?" The monotonous tone she kept reminded Jace of himself after he lost his arm.

"My semblance evolved and I grew silver wings. I flew to the top of it. I wasn't fast enough."

"At least _you_ stuck by your friends. What are you doing here anyway?"

"I came by to see how you were doing. It's been seven months and I… I hoped you were doing okay. And my team thought that since I lost my arm… I might be able to say something to help."

"Can you take back everything that happened at the festival?" She said and took her hand from her knee and set her legs over the edge of the bed as she turned her body to him. "People think I attacked Mercury for no reason. Now they think I'm… they think just I'm some crazy bitch. Turns out that he was one of the people that caused it and no one else knows about it."

"Raine talked with the Rangers while I was in a coma. They know everything. They know you were tricked. They know Pyrrha was tricked and they're working with smoothing things out with the councils. Everyone will know who caused it. And maybe if Ironwood is nice enough, he could get you a prosthetic like he did me."

"Then what?" She asked with an edge in her voice, then her eyes turned crimson, "Even if I got a prosthetic, my team's freakin' gone. Weiss got taken back to Atlas. Ruby's off to Oum-knows-where, she left and no one knows where she went. Then… Blake… she's gone!" Yang yelled and her eyes clenched shut, "She just ran without a word! I might get a prosthetic but what good would that do if I don't know where my team is?"

"Look, I'm sure that Ruby's alright. She's with Jaune, Nora and Ren in Mistral. Weiss is probably good back in Atlas. And Blake probably had a reason to-"

"What reason? What reason is good enough to abandon your friends? Your partner? I know that Ruby loves her. _She_ knows that Ruby loves her and she just ran."

"I don't know…"

"There's no reason at all. Not everything happens for a reason. Bad things just happen."

Jace closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Maybe-"

"And what are you supposed to say to _help_ me? ' _Don't stare too long into the sun_?' What good is that gonna do _me_? It's not like everything will just be alright."

Jace clenched his fist and felt his anger rising at her attitude. "Would you just listen-"

"It's not like everything will go my way like it did for you."

"Fuck you!" Jace yelled, stunning her into silence.

"You think everything went my way?" Jace held his prosthetic up to his face and gritted his teeth.

"If everything went _my way_ , Genesis and dad would still be alive!" He screamed in anger at her, "I'd still have my own arm and not some piece of damn metal and fake skin! We would've made it out of that hell as a family!"

"Don't yell at me!"

"If everything turned out _my way_ , Alyss wouldn't have had to see her mom die! My home wouldn't have been taken by Grimm!"

"Jace! Stop!"

"And you think that sometimes there's no reason for something bad to happen!? You see this damn arm!? The reason this happened was so it didn't happen to you or your team!"

"Would you… What?" That statement caught her completely off guard, causing her eyes to revert back to lilac as Jace tried to cool his temper.

Jace shook his head and stormed out the door. His anger had risen greatly and he didn't want to be yelling at her more. He shook his head with tears in his eyes as he walked down the hallway with only one thought on his mind.

He had failed again.

He stomped down the stairs and walked into the living room, seeing everyone staring back at him. "I don't know." He said before anyone could ask and walked out the front door to calm down. He didn't notice the tears that were in Alyss' eyes.

"Jace?" She called after him but she received no answer.

She stood and walked out the door as her eyes were stinging with tears after she heard what Jace yelled. He sat on a bench at the front of the house and had his head in his hands. "Jace, what happened?" She asked and sat next to him.

"I knew I wouldn't be able to help. I couldn't help _again_. I lost my temper and I just yelled at her." Jace replied, but didn't answer the question.

"Why did you yell at her?"

"Because she said that things went my way. Yeah, I survived everything I went through, but Gen and dad aren't here anymore… I-I lost my family…"

"I'm sure she didn't mean it." Alyss placed her hand on his arm and rubbed gently.

"Probably not… but she meant to say it… It's so damn hard to hear."

"I… I heard what you said about mom…" Alyss said quietly.

Jace groaned and looked to the ground in shame. "I'm sorry… That wasn't my place to say anything about her…" He replied quietly.

"No… It's alright. No one's had anything go their way. It's tough for everyone."

"It's just… I don't know… I just know I didn't help."

"Come on. Let's go back inside." Alyss said and held his hand.

"What? So Tai can yell at me for screaming at his daughter?"

"I'm sure he'd already be out here if he wanted to yell at you."

Jace sighed and stood up with her. "I guess you're right…" He said and she led him into the house. They walked back into the living room where the others sat waiting for them.

"I don't know if that helped." Tai said and sighed.

"Yeah… yellin' probably didn't help at all." Auron remarked.

"Maybe if she didn't say that everything went my way, then I wouldn't have started… I'm sorry, Tai." Jace said and sat down with Alyss.

"At least you tried. Hopefully it'll help." Alyss said.

"Hopefully…" Raine echoed with a sigh.

"How long are you guys here for?" Tai asked them.

"A week at least. We're waiting for the ship to get refueled and I need to do something else, then we'll be heading to Mistral." Jace answered and sighed.

"Well, since you tried to help, I'll let you stay here. Even though I'm pissed that you yelled at my daughter."

"I appreciate you not kicking us out then. I still owe everyone a lot."

"I guess I should fix everyone some food. Is steak alright?"

"Yeah, that's fine." Jace said and everyone agreed.

"I'll help out if you'd let me." Auron said and stood up.

"Sure, I'll need it." Tai said and the two went to the kitchen.

Alyss looked to Jace and saw his expression was still gloomy. She leaned over and pushed her head against his shoulder. "Here… cheer yourself up." She said and flicked her ears.

Jace smiled a bit and reached his hand up to scratch the base of her ears. Zwei looked up at them and barked at them as if he was jealous. Jace looked from Zwei and back to Alyss. She looked to him and nodded, then Jace patted his lap for the small corgi to jump up on him. Zwei plopped down and Jace began scritching his ears along with his girlfriend's.

* * *

"If you don't mind, can I take Yang her food?" Alyss asked as the steaks were finished.

"Sure, but why?" Tai asked.

"Because, I don't know if it'll work or not, but my semblance lets me heal injuries. I wanted to see if I can get it to evolve or push it past its limit."

His face brightened up some. "And you think you can heal my girl's arm?" Tai asked with hopefulness.

"I honestly don't know, but I have to try while I'm here."

"Alright then. Here's her steak, I hope you can do something." Tai handed Alyss the plate and showed her to Yang's room.

Tai showed her the door, then walked back down to the living room. Alyss rapped on the door three times with her knuckles. "Yang, food's ready."

"Alyss?"

"Yeah, I'm here too."

"Come in."

Alyss opened the door and walked over to Yang, who was setting her bracer back on the nightstand.

"Here you go." Alyss said and handed Yang her plate.

Yang _hummed_ her response as she took hold of it and set it in her lap.

"Umm, I know this is weird to ask, but can I see your arm?"

"W-what?"

"Your right arm. I… I want to try to heal it." Alyss answered and Yang dropped her fork.

"You mean… try to grow it back?" She asked in confusion.

Alyss nodded her head. "I would hate myself if I didn't try. I want to help. Would you let me?"

"Umm, yeah… you can try." Yang put her plate on the nightstand next to her weapon and turned her right side toward Alyss.

Alyss moved a chair closer and sat in it next to Yang as she held what was left of her right arm out. Alyss placed her hands on the stump and pulsed her semblance through them.

"What did Jace mean by if he didn't get taken, we would have?" Yang asked after a few moments.

"He told me all of it when we went to Atlas together for the first time. He said that before that scientist had his dad brought out, he told Jace and his brother about a few things. He told them that he planned on taking you four, but then he found them. They were taken to keep you from being taken."

"What? You mean that… we could've got taken?"

"Yeah."

"So it should've been us instead of them? Is that what he's saying?" Yang's eyes flashed to crimson and Alyss quickly shook her head.

"That's not what he means at all!" She assured her with an edge in her voice and she immediately shook herself in shame, "He's glad it was them instead of you four."

Yang's eyes went back to lilac quickly as she stared in confusion. "He's glad he was kidnapped?"

"Not for the experiments, Oum no. He was glad that it kept you guys safe. He said that it would've hurt more people. You, your team, your friends, Qrow, and Tai. He said that it's more than what they had for them."

"W-why didn't he tell us that before? Gods… From saying what I did… I feel even more like shit now…" Yang's shoulders slumped after she told her all of that.

"He didn't say because Qrow asked him not to, and Jace asked me not to."

They were silent for the rest of the time Alyss had spent with Yang's arm. It was nearly fifteen minutes until Alyss grew extremely tired. "I… I can't keep it up right now." She said and dropped her hands, then breathed deeply.

"I feel… _something_ there. I don't know what it is, but it's something…" Yang said. Her voice had a minuscule bit of hope in it now and she took her usual position on her bed.

"We aren't staying long… just a few nights. Maybe a week… Do you want me to keep trying every day while we're here?"

"Y-yeah… I'd like that."

Before Alyss walked from the room, she turned back to Yang. "Please, just… just pull yourself out of all this. Tai said you were getting there before your relapse the other day. We all want you to get better. To just… be yourself again," She pleaded with the fighter.

"If not for you, please do it for your friends. Do it for Tai and Qrow. Do it for Weiss. Do it for Ruby." She slowly turned toward the door.

"Alyss?"

The ash-blonde girl _hummed_ tiredly for her continue.

"I'm… sorry about your mom."

Alyss held her head down and turned back around toward her. "Thanks, Yang."

"Do you think Weiss would still love me if she saw me like this?"

Alyss smiled encouragingly at her. "Of course she would. It's only bones and skin." She said and walked from the room. She was very tired and had trouble keeping her eyes open as she walked down the stairs and to the others.

"What's wrong?" Tai asked in worry at seeing her expression.

"Really tired now…" Alyss answered and sat down.

"That's what her semblance does," Jace said and took her hand, "She can heal people, but it makes her really tired depending on what she does."

"Did anything happen?" Tai asked Alyss.

"No… but she said she felt something there… I'm gonna keep trying every day we're here."

"You'd be willing to do that for my daughter? Even if it makes you that tired?"

"She healed the burns on my arm when she first met me," Jace said and brought his right arm to his face, "Yang's her friend so she doesn't care how it makes her."

"Pretty much…" Alyss said and yawned.

"I appreciate it then, thanks."

Tai didn't get any reply from her as she fell asleep.

* * *

"How'd it go with your friend yesterday?" Connor asked as Jace returned.

"Well, we yelled at each other." Jace answered and stood next to him.

"I guess that didn't help anything."

"I don't know if it did or not, I haven't talked to her since then."

"At least you tried."

"That's what everyone else said. Do you think we could stay here longer?"

"Why would you need to?"

"I owe her dad for taking care of me a while back. I was gonna help with stuff around the house."

"Well, since I ain't got much freightin' to get back to anytime soon with the Grimm activity up, I guess we could stay for a while longer. Jus' tell me when you wanna go."

"I will, thanks." Jace said and left Connor to his business.

"An' remember the test!" Connor called after him.

He walked through the town and took out the list of things Tai needed. Oil, gas, and water. He went through the town and bought them, then went to meet up with Auron and Raine, who had different lists.

"This everything?" Auron asked.

"Yeah, this is it. Let's go."

"How long are we staying now?" Raine asked as they walked the path through the forest.

"As long as we need." Jace answered and they continued on.

* * *

"I really appreciate you kids helpin' out." Tai said as he and Alyss washed the dishes.

"It's the least we could do for letting us stay here." Alyss replied.

"Still, I appreciate it a lot."

"Hey, we're back!" They heard Auron call from the front of the house.

They finished up the dishes and went out to meet them. "Thanks for headin' into town." Tai said as he took the meat from Raine.

"Hey, I told Yang and the others that I'd help my friends no matter what. This counts." Jace said and set two jugs of water down on a table.

"Were you able to talk with Connor?" Alyss asked.

"Yeah, we can stay as long as we need to. I guess you haven't tried healing Yang's arm again have you?"

"Not yet. I was gonna wait until dinner. I hear Auron's fixing something himself." She said with a small grin.

That got the gunslinger's attention. "When did that get decided?"

"Just to be clear, I said 'help.'" Tai said when he returned from the kitchen.

"Well I'd better get to fix some damn chicken sometime." Auron said and Raine's ears shot up.

"We can fix it tomorrow. Today, it's cabbage rolls."

"That works. Been a while since I had that," Auron replied, "I don't guess you'd have ghost peppers layin' around, do ya?"

* * *

"It feels the same as yesterday… you alright?" Yang asked as Alyss stopped with her semblance.

"Yeah, I'm good… We're staying a bit longer while we help your dad around the house. So I'll keep trying every day."

"Alright… thanks."

Alyss nodded and walked from the room, then went straight to sleep on the couch.

Over the next two weeks, they helped Tai with what he needed. Yang was out and doing small things as well, but she and Jace still hadn't talked any to each other. Jace was able to shave his face and trim his hair, something that made him feel refreshed. Auron helped with preparing food. Jace, Auron and Raine went into town to bring back food, water or anything else. Auron brought his truck back the second time they went to town. Alyss helped with dishes and tried healing Yang's arm after everyone ate, immediately going to sleep afterwards.

Something happened on the end of the second week.

Alyss was with Yang as usual, pulsing her semblance into Yang's arm and she decided to go all in, putting more of her aura into it.

"I… I feel a pressure there… What is that?" Yang asked, but received no answer as Alyss concentrated. She steeled herself and pulsed more aura into her semblance.

"Gah!" Yang cried out as she grasped at her arm in pain. She looked and stared with wide eyes as she saw something coming from her elbow. It was bone starting to form.

Alyss saw it and was filled with more determination as she pulsed her aura even more. The bones grew and after a few moments, they had formed into a skeletal hand and forearm. The stump reverted back to what it looked like when her arm was cut off, but didn't bleed. Alyss pushed harder and sinew and tissue started to form, then veins and muscle and nerves. She made one more push as the skin started to grow and cover Yang's arm.

"AAAGGH!" Yang screamed as the pressure and the pain built in her arm.

Alyss pulsed her aura and semblance one last time, making the last of the skin grow and causing her to pass out onto the bed.

Tai came running through the door with wide and fearful eyes. "What-!" He didn't get further when he saw Alyss laying on the bed and Yang breathing heavily, clutching her right arm and gritting her teeth.

"She… she did it?" Tai said in shock.

"What's wrong!?" Jace yelled as he arrived at the door.

"She did it!" Tai exclaimed and took a long step over to Yang to grab her in a hug.

Jace looked and saw Alyss slumped over on the bed and went to check her. He sighed in relief that she was just asleep, then he looked to Yang and nodded. Jace picked Alyss up and carried her from the room, then carried her downstairs to a couch.

"What happened?" Raine asked in worry as Jace gently laid Alyss down.

"She… did it." Jace answered.

"She actually got Yang a new arm?" Auron asked in shock.

"She really did it."

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: Yes, Yang got her arm back. No, Alyss won't wake up the next day feeling all chipper and full of energy. That is Alyss' semblance and this is something completely new for her, to regrow someone's forearm and hand. Whatever she heals, the more severe it is, makes her extremely tired. No one knows go long she'll be out. I'm sorry for having to say this, I just don't want people to think there are no consequences with her semblance.**

 **With that out of the way, yelling at an amputee was not the best move Jace has made. But telling Jace that things went his way after everything that happened is an equally bad move on Yang's part.**

 **Next, we have the impending DNA test and their last days in Patch.**

 **See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	48. Chapter 47: Re-ignited

**Re-ignited**

Yang looked at her right hand, still in shock, as she sat in the living room with the others.

"I… I can't believe it…" She said and clenched her fist shut, "It's back… and the pain is gone."

"Neither can I, really. It took a lot out of Alyss. She's still asleep." Jace said and smiled a bit. It had been a full day since Alyss had grown Yang's arm back. Tai suggested she lay in the bed in the guest room instead of on a couch.

"How long d'you think she'll be sleeping?" Yang asked.

"This is something new for her. You know how tired it made her to heal Raine's arm during our initiation, or Weiss' burns. There's really no telling when."

Yang closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I'm… I'm sorry about what I said."

"I forgive you. You got mad."

"I know… we both did. I wish I could take it back."

"And I wish I could take back yelling at you."

"Damn, why don't you both kiss an' get it over with." Auron said and rolled his eyes.

"Not in front of me!" Tai teased.

"I will punch you both." Yang said with a short laugh, then turned back to Jace, "And thanks. Umm… Alyss told me about what you said. About if it didn't happen to you, then it would've happened to us."

"Yeah… I guess you needed to know that sooner or later."

"Know about what exactly?" Tai asked.

"That the person that kidnapped me and my brother planned on taking Yang and the others before he found us."

"Wait, what? You mean that could've happened to my girls!?" Tai yelled in confusion.

"Apparently. That's the only reason I'm glad it was us. It won't happen to anyone else either."

Tai closed his eyes and shook his head. "You're a good kid."

Jace smiled and bowed his head to him. "I'm glad a lot of you think so." He said before his scroll's ringtone went off.

He went to answer it quickly. "Hey Connor. What did you need?"

"I think both you an' Alex put this off long enough. I got him an' we'll be waitin' at the clinic. Don't take your sweet-ass time gettin' here." Connor said and hung up.

Jace let out a nervous breath and closed his scroll. "I… I'll be back later."

"Whats wrong?" Tai asked.

"I'm having a DNA test done at the clinic in town…" Jace answered nervously and Auron sat up straighter.

"I guess it's time, ain't it? Too bad for you Alyss ain't awake to keep ya calm." He said and the two rose from their seats.

"Whoa, hang on. A DNA test for what?" Yang asked them.

"I could have a brother and we both want to make sure." Jace answered her. Both hers and Tai's eyes went wide.

"Good freakin' luck with that." Yang said.

"Come on' Jace. Can't keep Alex waitin' on it." Auron said and the two walked from the house.

* * *

Jace and Alex's blood was taken quickly and they were waiting across the street for the test to be done. Auron sat in his seat and had his eyes closed with his hands clasped behind his head. Connor sat with a cigarette in his mouth and a newspaper in his hands with a bottle of coffee on the table that he brought from the ship. Jace was leaning forward, resting his arms on the table as he kept glancing back and forth between the clinic and the table. Alex looked over something in his hand, it looked like the hilt to a sword with a topaz in the pommel of it.

"I know they're gonna say something about it, so I'm gonna say it first…" Jace started nervously and Alex looked up from his hand, "I have Faunus DNA and dust in me."

Connor nearly dropped the cigarette from his mouth and Alex _did_ drop the hilt from his hand. "Now hold the fuck on… You told me about the dust experiments but you never said a damn thing about Faunus DNA. What kinda shit were they runnin'?" Connor asked in disbelief.

"Wait, what!?" Alex asked with anger in his voice, "Those two didn't-"

"No, it wasn't them," Jace assured him, then he sighed, "Me and my adoptive brother were kidnapped last year. We were both experimented on and got that stuff put in us. We escaped and after a few months… they found us and killed him and dad…" Jace clenched his fists as he looked at his left arm, "I lost my left arm too… this is a prosthetic. I killed the scientist that had us taken, but… the bastard that started the kidnappings is still out there…"

Alex's mouth was gaped and he rubbed at his temples. "Good fucking Oum… what the hell is wrong with this damn world?" He asked to no one in particular and sighed, "I don't know what to say about any of that."

"No one does when he first tells 'em." Auron commented.

Jace looked back over to the clinic and shook his head. "I have a lot on my shoulders from all of that. I'm the last one in our family and I have to keep their memories going."

"If that test comes back positive and if you'd let me, you won't be the last," Alex said with a nervous smile, "I've always wanted a brother. And if I have a brother that's part Faunus, then that'll tell _them_ to go to hell."

"That would be good," Jace grinned at him, "I'd really need to tell you about them both."

"Excuse me!" A nurse called from across the street, standing in the doorway of the clinic, "The test is done!"

"I guess that's your cue to get your asses back over there." Connor said to them both.

The two needed no invitation and both stood up nervously. "Gods I wish Alyss was awake." Jace muttered to himself.

"Moment of truth, huh?" Alex said nervously as they crossed the street.

"Y-yeah. Moment of truth."

They stepped into the building and were led to a doctor's office. If Jace was heading into a fight against Grimm, then he'd be more than ready as he wore his outfit for combat. The same could be said for Alex. But who can be ready for DNA results?

"Please, have a seat," The doctor told them both and they complied, "Just because protocol demands it, I have to ask this. You _do_ know about the Faunus DNA and the dust in you, right?" He asked Jace.

"Yeah, I do."

"Good. That would be an awkward conversation," The doctor laughed, "Now, onto the test. I either regret or I'm pleased to tell you that the test came back positive. You both are of the same bloodline as the Storms, barring the Faunus DNA in you, of course," He chuckled as the two teens sat up straighter in their seats, "Now, is that a good or a bad thing?"

"That's… Good. It's really good." Alex said and glanced at Jace.

"Y-yeah. It is." Jace agreed.

"Good to see a case like this where the two sides aren't at each others' throats." The doctor said with a grin.

"Thank you, sir. I think we can get out of your hair now." Jace said and the two went to stand.

"Or lack thereof," The doctor laughed as he rubbed at his bald head, "You boys have a good day."

Jace and Alex quickly made their way back over to Connor and Auron. Connor gave them both a questioning gaze. "What's the news?"

"Well… It came back positive… We're family." Jace answered.

"Thats good then. You both got blood relatives that ain't pieces o' shit." Auron said to the two.

"I think we should all call it a day," Alex said, "This made me really tired and I need some fucking sleep."

* * *

"Soooo… You have a brother." Yang echoed when Jace told them over dinner.

"Yeah… This is so weird. I never thought I'd have a brother by blood." Jace said as he leaned back on the couch.

"What's gonna happen with you both?" Raine asked, "Like, how do you both feel?"

"We're glad. Even though it's new for the both of us, we're both really glad."

"I'd imagine that you got a lot of catchin' up to do." Yang remarked.

"There's no doubt about that," Jace sighed and looked to the ceiling, "Fuck me, this last month was just hell on my nerves."

"Hmm… You ask Alyss nice enough, she might." Yang grinned at him.

Jace's cheeks burned hot at what she said and he looked down. "I will punch you." He said with a laugh.

* * *

"Hey Tai, do you have anything I could use so I can draw up some plans?" Jace asked a few days later.

Alyss was still asleep. It didn't come as any surprise to anyone, although Tai did feel worry for her. Yang was out walking around and helping more than before. She had also been training a small bit as well.

"I got some stuff in my workshop around back. Why?"

"I'm thinking about making a new weapon sometime since I don't have _Standoff_ or _Siege Breaker_ anymore. I wanted to draw some plans for anything I can think of."

"Alright, come on." Tai said and led Jace from the house.

He took Jace around the house and to the workshop. When they stepped in, Tai turned the lights on and Jace could see numerous drafts and plans for _Crescent Rose_ and _Ember Celica_.

Jace looked closely at one of the drafts and nearly broke out laughing. "Did Ruby really want to have _Crescent Rose_ be a rocket launcher?"

"Oh Gods, yes. It took I don't know how many cookies to get her to tone it down to at least a sniper rifle." Tai grinned at the memories.

"I can only imagine." Jace let out a chuckle."

"It was somethin', let me tell ya. Anyways, we have decent amount of draft paper you can use, bunch of pencils too. You oughtta be good to go, use as much as you need."

"Thanks, Tai. Next time you need something from town, I might get some dust crystals and powder. I still have some lien with me at least."

"I think I'll head into town with you. I need to see somebody about something."

* * *

"You didn't have to get us a discount at the dust store." Jace said as he and Tai rode in the back of Auron's truck.

Tai shook his head. "You guys helped out a lot and Alyss got Yang her arm back. I really appreciate you four bein' here."

"We might leave in a few days even if Alyss doesn't wake up. We want to get to Mistral soon." Jace said and looked through the dust crystals and vials of powder.

"Why are you headed to Mistral, anyway?"

"Ever hear of the Crimson Lance?"

"I might've heard a bit."

"Well, they're based out of Anima from what Auron said before. We want to find their leader and put an end to them for what they did to us." Jace looked at his prosthetic and clenched his fist.

"You mean they were behind the kidnappings?"

"Yeah. He had some scientist run experiments on anyone, humans or Faunus. And their leader killed Auron's dad a while back too."

"I hope you can do somethin' then."

"The bastard's gonna get what's owed to him," Auron said from the open back window of the truck, "I'll make Oum-damned sure of it."

"Damn right. Someone like him doesn't deserve to live," Jace hesitated and just decided to tell Tai everything, "Ruby's there too."

"Ruby's in Mistral!?" The blonde man blurted out in shock, "Since when?"

"She went after she visited me in Atlas. She has Pyrrha's team with her, she'll be alright. We were gonna watch their backs too."

"But _Mistral_? I doubt they'd have enough lien to stay in the middle-class district, they'd probably have to stay in the slums or something. Oum no, I don't want Ruby there!"

"Don't worry about that," Auron said to him, "I told 'em they can stay at my house south o' the city. The don't have to stay in that damn hellhole."

"Oh thank Oum," Tai breathed in relief, "That kid… she just always knows how to make me worry," He shook his head and looked to Jace, almost a pleading look in his eyes.

"Just help her out, please."

* * *

"Headin' out now?" Tai asked as the group got ready.

After nearly a month, Alyss was still asleep and everyone was getting worried for her. Jace and the others decided that it would be best to get on the path to Mistral and wait for her to wake up on the ship.

"Yeah, thanks for letting us stay here, Tai." Jace said and put his coat on, then grabbed the roll of draft paper Tai let him have and he put through his belt.

"I'll admit, it'll be hard to cook on my own now, but I'll manage with just two mouths to feed again." Tai grinned a bit as he gave them all strong hugs.

"Jace…" The heard Yang say from the where she appeared in the hallway.

"What's up Yang?"

"Thanks for comin' here, all of you. I'll try… I'll try to get through this. For Ruby, Weiss, and everyone. You all have my word."

"That's all we ask." Raine said and gave her a smile.

Yang nodded and walked over to them. She looked at her right hand and have a small smile. "It's weird, y'know? Having my arm back…"

"At least you don't have to deal with a piece of metal. I'll see you around Yang." Jace said in farewell.

She nodded and gave them all hugs. "When Alyss wakes up, tell her I said thanks."

"We will." Jace said and picked his girlfriend up from the couch.

"You kids be careful. Bring 'em down and watch her back." Tai said as they walked from the door.

Jace gently set Alyss in the passenger side of the truck and hopped in the back along with Raine. They looked back at the house and saw Tai and Yang, along with Zwei, standing outside and watching them go. Auron rolled his window down and stuck his hand and arm out to wave, then Raine and Jace waved as well.

The two at the house waved goodbye and Zwei barked after them, and Auron drove down the path toward the town.

* * *

"Took you kids long enough. Crews' gettin' restless," Connor said as they stepped out of the truck, then Jace got Alyss from the passenger seat.

"What happened to her?"

"She ended up healing our friend's arm. She's been asleep for almost a month." Jace replied.

"Healed her arm? Didn't your friend lose it?"

"Alyss grew it back with her semblance. She can heal things with it."

"Hell of a semblance. _Damn_ ," Connor drew the word out a bit and turned away, "As soon as things are ready, we'll leave."

"I'm gonna go lay her down. Then we'll play some cards." Jace said to his team and walked away.

"When did you get cards?" Auron asked after him.

"Last time we were in town."

* * *

"Hey Jace, care if I use some o' that paper for somethin'" Auron asked as he caught Jace working on his draft.

"Sure," Jace said and handed him some paper and a few pencils. "What for?"

"I got plans for a couple things. One's somethin' I talked to Ruby about before. The other's somethin' I'll need to talk to Jaune about."

"Alright then. Good luck with it."

"You too." Auron replied and walked from the room.

Jace worked on his weapon design for an hour more. He had a basic idea of what he wanted, but putting it on paper was difficult to say the least.

After a little while longer, Alyss' eyes fluttered open slowly and she looked around the room, eventually seeing Jace sitting and working with his draft.

"H-hey Jace." She said and got his attention immediately.

"Hey, you're awake! How do you feel?" He asked and held her hand.

"I feel fine. Where are we?"

"Back on the ship heading to Mistral. Yang said thanks."

"Did it work? Did I grow her arm back?" Alyss asked hopefully.

Jace nodded. "You did. She said she'll try to get better."

"That's good. How long was I asleep? A few days?"

Jace shook his head. "Close to a month. We only left Patch a few days ago."

"A month!?" Alyss exclaimed in shock, "That's never happened before!"

"You grew Yang's forearm and hand back. I'd say it makes sense."

"Still though, a month? How long until we get to Mistral?"

"Maybe a month and a half. Maybe closer to two. Connor said he can push the engines and get us there in a little less than a month though," Jace squeezed her hand and sighed from relief, "I'm glad you're awake now."

"Me too. Now on to help the others I guess." She said with a smile and went to stand, almost falling over.

"Hold on…" Jace said as he caught her, then he set her back on the bed, "You need to get used to walking again. You haven't been moving for a month, remember."

"That'll be something then." Alyss said dryly.

"Sucks, doesn't it?"

Alyss groaned and laid back in her bed. "I'm tired though…"

"You don't have to do it now. We've still got awhile. Just take it easy."

Alyss moved over on the bed and smiled as she patted the spot next to her. "Wanna take it easy with me?"

Jace smiled back and fell into the bed next to her. "I can take it easy with you any time, kitten."

Alyss rolled over on her side and wrapped her arms around him. Jace smiled happily and did the same. Alyss laid her her head in the crook of his neck and let out a happy _mewl_. Jace reached his right hand up and started rubbing and scratching around her ears. She started to purr as she nuzzled deeper into his neck, the sounds coming from her chest made Jace completely relax and he _hummed_ lightly in happiness.

"I doubt we'll be able to do this when we get started in Mistral…" Jace murmured into her ear.

Her ear twitched against his breath and she made a short, whining noise. "I know… I honestly think we should do this as much as possible until we get there."

"Sounds like a good plan… I kinda wish we could be on this ship forever, then."

"Hmm… no. I'd rather not stay in this cramped ship," She pulled her head back and leaned up to give him a peck on the lips, "But once we take back Beacon and get our _really_ comfortable beds back, we can do this, and _this_ …" She leaned in and gave him a deeper, more heated kiss.

She pulled back after a few moments and gave a grin, "And we can definitely do _this_ …" She kissed him again and bit his bottom lip and pulled with her short fangs, drawing a bit of blood from him and causing him to pause in his scratching. She licked it up and her senses were filled with the coppery taste, then she giggled at the completely dumbfounded look on his face.

She brought her lips to his cheek, then trailed kissed down his neck. She opened her mouth and bit down lightly, causing Jace to tense a bit and pull her body closer to him. She giggled again and started sucking hard into the spot where she bit. She did the same with a few more spots on his neck and pulled back to inspect the already darkened spots.

"A-Alyss…" Jace said breathlessly as he stared at her, "I've never seen you like this before…"

"Do you like it?"

"I… I fucking _love_ it."

"If you want… I can make a habit of it." She cooed in his ear.

Jace shivered a bit at the tone of her voice. He kissed her on the lips and gave a grin. "Sweet Oum, I love you," He said and his grin turned into more of a smirk, "Now, how about I pay you back?"

* * *

"Alright, you can use your semblance on your legs, I forgot." Jace said and crossed his arms with a small grin. After their time _relaxing_ , Alyss decided she wanted to walk around the ship. Both of them had more than a few bruises on their necks and drew grins and chuckles from the crewmen.

"You almost sound disappointed." Alyss replied as she walked next to him.

"I just figured you'd want to take it easy for a bit until we get to Mistral."

"Well I'm still not doing much. At least now I can walk with you. Unless you wanted to carry me everywhere." She said with a smile.

"I wouldn't have minded." He admitted

"What did you and Alex find out?"

"We're brothers. I told him about everything too, and he wasn't disgusted by the fact that I have dust and Faunus in me."

"It's good that you both got that figured out. You both deserved to know."

"Yeah, I'm glad that we did. I still need to ask him what his weapon is too. All I've seen is a hilt to a sword."

"That reminds me, what have you been drawing on?" She glanced at the draft papers Jace was carrying.

"Oh!" Jace brought up the paper and unrolled it to show her, "I've been working on plans for a new weapon."

He had more of an idea of what he wanted now. He wanted a sword almost like _Standoff_ , as in it would be a large greatsword, but that would be where the similarities end. The draft showed it to be double-edged with a foot-long flat area on the blade close to the hilt on both sides, and had different lines along the blade marked as 'segments.' The segments were there because he wanted to add some type of additional function to it. His ideas were a high-caliber, single barrel artillery rifle, a type of large gauge shotgun, some type of heavy dust machine gun or a type of aura-powered rail gun. How it would work was that the blade would extend at the segmented parts, revealing the barrel of whatever gun he decided on, then the trigger would come out from the hilt and a grip from the base of the blade below where the receiver would be.

It showed that the ammunition for the artillery idea would be larger around than what _Siege Breaker_ needed. Possibly larger than Ruby's weapon. He would need to order them custom made due to the fact that no ammunition was made to be that large, for a Huntsman at least. The magazine would be inserted into the ground-side of the flat part of the blade.

"Since Savage Arms and S&S Munitions are based in Mistral, I might be able to get everything I need for it. Auron already said I can use his forge." Jace said and rolled the paper back up.

"How long have you been working on that?" Alyss asked.

"A few days after you healed Yang's arm. It took a lot of thinking."

"It looks like it. I hope you can make it."

"I'm excited to try."

They walked on and found Auron standing near his truck rather protectively as he held his rifle in his hands. He noticed them coming and opened his mouth to greet them, then he noticed around their necks. "I take it there's a reason you both are covered in hickeys?" He questioned them.

"We were taking it easy for a while." Alyss answered easily.

"She was being a very good kind of different." Jace added.

"Well I'm glad you kids are havin' fun." He said and looked around in the sky.

"What are you even doing?" Alyss asked him.

"Connor asked me an' a few others to try an' take care o' these shit-hawks flyin' around."

"The hell's a shit-hawk?" Jace asked in confusion.

"Seagulls," Raine answered from behind them, "It annoying. I'd rather not be wasting my ammo on these damn things…" She looked to Jace and Alyss and raised her eyebrow, "Umm…"

"Taking it easy." Jace said before she could ask.

"Uh-huh…" Raine replied in a disbelieving tone.

"And why are you shooting at seagulls?" Alyss asked.

"Keeps 'em from shittin' all over everything." Auron answered.

Connor walked by them and grinned. "Good shootin', Raine. Keeps us from wastin' our ammo." He laughed at the short growl of annoyance from her. He looked at Alyss and Jace and shook his head.

"No sex on the ship." He told them and walked off.

"It wasn't sex!" They both protested

* * *

"That's one crazy idea you got there." Connor said as he glanced at Jace's designs.

"I'm gonna need a crazy weapon if I'm gonna do something about the Lance." Jace replied and set his pencil down.

"I'd say you will. We're a few days from Mistral now. I figured I'd tell ya before we get there. I guess we'll be docked for when you need us again. We ain't had any regular jobs lately because of the Grimms' activity risin'."

"I appreciate it, Connor."

"I'm gonna go back to makin' sure we don't wreck into a buncha rocks or somethin'." Connor said with a laugh and left.

Jace looked at his plans and sighed a bit. He had his design how he wanted it with the artillery form and had a basic idea for the rail gun idea. The problem he had now was coming up with a name.

He thought about different names, such as _High Cross_ and _Defender_ , but he didn't know what to use for it. That was the difference between Jace and Genesis. Jace always thought of multiple names for a weapon, but never deciding on one. Genesis could never think of a name to use.

Jace sighed at that thought and shook his head. _"Maybe I should get it made first."_ He thought to himself.

* * *

"This is the first time I've ever been to Mistral." Jace remarked as the group stopped at a diner on the docks.

"Hot as hell ain't it?" Auron asked. The first thing he did when they arrived was buy a black cowboy hat. It was wide and flat-brimmed with a more domed top than a normal one, sitting smoothly on top of his head.

"Hot or cold doesn't bother me anymore. But judging by everyone else sweating, it's really hot."

"That's because you can keep yourself cold or hot," Alyss said with a grin.

"I can make you hot, too. Just a different way." Jace teased.

"Oh my Oum, Jace!" Alyss blushed and looked down, "You're not wrong, but I didn't expect that."

"And I didn't expect another side of you after you woke up and I _freaking_ love it."

"Can you two not get carried away in public?" Raine asked them as she pulled the hood of her cloak more over her head to shield her face from the sun, "We were talking about a completely different kind of heat, there."

"Speaking of that, how can you two wear those?" Alyss pointed the question at Raine's cloak and Auron's duster.

"I'm used to wearing my cloak all the time. The hood keeps the sun off my face." Raine answered.

"Same here with my coat. Bit o' ice dust helps too if ya got it." Auron said.

Alyss shook her head and frowned. "The last time I've been somewhere this hot was in Vacuo. With the sun, it's a wonder I never got a tan."

"The humidity makes it worse." Auron remarked.

"Oh _goodie_." Alyss said and wiped sweat from her forehead.

"Don't worry, my house has air conditionin'."

"Well, can we go then?"

"Yeah, let's go." Jace said and they all stood.

"Come up with anymore ideas for your weapon, Jace?" Raine asked as they walked toward the vehicles.

"No, I've pretty much got things figured out. I just need to get the things for it."

"If mom ain't had Preacher make a table out of it, we should still have some scrap Spider Tank parts. One o' the barrels might work for it. Might get some gears or somethin' else out of 'em too." Auron suggested.

"You mean I might not have to spend much money? I'll take it." Jace said and grinned.

"Even if you do, I got it handled."

"You don't have to spend your money on me." Jace protested.

"I'll be usin' it for my plans too, I got enough of it. Hell, I got something for bein' runner up in those tournaments four years in a row. That, along with sellin' off scrap metal an' dust we found in the forest around the house, we had a decent amount saved up."

"I'll try not to make it too expensive then." Jace said and pulled his and Alyss' helmets from _Titan_.

"If it's gonna help put the Hawk in the ground, then I'll spend all of it if I need to…" Auron said with a serious tone as he opened the door of his truck.

"Oh, I gotta say this," Auron said to Jace and Alyss, "I don't know how we're gonna make room with our team plus mom an' Preacher. Plus I don't know how mom would feel if you guys get all… y'know…"

"Yeah, we understand that," Jace replied in a more serious tone than he had ever sounded like, "We talked about it and this is when we really need to get focused. We have a lot to face here and we know we can't get all lovey-dovey and be focused on what we need to do at the same time."

"He's right," Alyss said from his side, "If we distract each other too much here with all of that, then it's gonna hurt when we have to fight and we _will_ have to fight. We got a lot of that out of our systems on the way here and now we have to look at what's here in front of us. Trust us, we know."

"I mean, I wasn't talkin' about fightin'. It was more because mom might put you guys in the workshop if ya get like that," Auron grinned a bit, then it disappeared as quickly as it came, "But you're right. We all gotta look at what's against us here."

"We all need to keep on our toes. We have a tough time ahead of us." Raine added.

"Let's get on the road." Auron said and they went to their vehicles.

* * *

"So Auron, how far south is your house anyway?" Jace asked through his scroll as they drove down the forest path, having to yell over the roar of _Titan's_ engine.

"About a hundred miles. We're gettin' closer. I recognize some o' this stuff. See that old truck on the right?"

"Yeah." Jace responded as they drove past an old shell of a truck with a tree growing through it.

"We got a few miles now. Just… don't mind Preacher."

"I'm sure he's not _that_ bad." Alyss replied.

Both Auron and Raine shared a long, mirth-filled laugh at the statement.

"You ain't met 'im." Auron said and laughed again. He sighed as he realized that was the first time he'd laughed like that in seven months.

"He's old and cranky, but you'll get use to him." Raine warned.

After another thirty minutes of driving, they came into the swampy clearing where Auron's house was. As they drew closer, they saw some scattered weapons and small craters scattered around the area from when they defended the home against the Faunus extremists.

"Hmm. Didn't notice all those before. Looks like we could gather those up an' sell. Probably for junk, though." Auron said at seeing the weapons.

Raine used her semblance to scout out the house ahead of them and saw something on the roof. "I don't want you guys to panic…"

"Oh dust, what?" Auron asked.

"We have a rifle trained on us."

"Oum damn it, Preacher…"

After another minute of driving, they finally pulled up in front of the house. Auron stepped out of his truck first, followed by Raine, then Jace and Alyss dismounted _Titan_ and stowed their helmets.

The front door burst open and the old man known as Preacher came out. "It's 'bout damn time you got back here!"

"My friend was in a coma an' I was helpin' take care of 'im. The hell do you expect?" Auron answered back.

Preacher stepped off the porch and gave Auron a strong hug. "You got some explainin' to do."

"About what?"

"The reason why there's a team o' damn kids that's been stayin' here."

"Ain't they got a hold of the Rangers?" Auron asked in confusion.

Preacher shook his head. "They went into the city a few days ago to get more dust an' ammo. For some fuckin' reason, the Grimm've been attackin' almost nonstop for the past couple months."

"Damn, really? Anyone told Emowyn or Erron?"

"I got a voicemail to 'em but they're still tryin' to talk things over with the damn council."

"Well, backup's here." Auron said and looked to his team, who were waiting patiently.

"Hey there stranger. Long time, no see." Preacher said to Raine with a grin.

"Good to see you again Preacher." She answered with a smile.

"An' who's these two?" Preacher looked between the two that were holding hands.

"Jace Reznor. The friend that was in a coma, and leader of team JKDW." Jace greeted with a nod.

"I'm Alyss Wystar. Jace's girlfriend." Alyss said and smiled.

Jace looked to Preacher's leg unconsciously and held his left arm. "Auron told us what happened to your leg. I know what it's like."

"How the hell would you know?" Preacher asked in mild annoyance.

"My left arm's a prosthetic. I got the skin for it a few months ago."

"How'd it happen?"

"Preacher, you can't just ask someone why they got a prosthetic. It's rude." Auron said to the old man.

"I got one too an' he knows it, so I got every right to ask!"

"Well, I'm gonna give you the really short version because I'm tired of telling it all from the beginning," Jace said and stepped up to them, "I'll tell you the one that caused it. Hawk."

That sent Preacher's mood sour. "Hawk? How the hell do you know that piece o' Grimm shit?"

"He had some scientist kidnap people last year and do experiments on them all. Me and my brother were two of them. We escaped, my brother and my dad died, and I lost my arm. All because of Hawk."

"And what are you four doin' in Anima?"

"Giving our friends backup while they look for who caused the Vytal Tragedy. We planned on trying to find Hawk too." Raine answered.

Preacher held his hand out to Jace. "You kids are workin' to bring those bastards some justice? Good luck then." Jace took his hand and shook it firmly.

Auron reached behind him and addressed Preacher, "Hey Preach, I got somethin' that might make ya breathe easier." He said and untied the mask from his belt.

Preacher stared at it in shock. "That's Kain's mask? I thought he was already dead?"

"I didn't hit the bastard's heart back then. He was at the invasion in Vale an' I made damn sure he died that time."

Preacher grinned. "Looks like we got somethin' to use for target practice."

Jace stepped forward again and got his teammate's attention. "Auron, where's your workshop? I'd like to get started on my weapon as soon as possible."

"Preach, you care to show 'em the workshop? I'm gonna go talk to mom." Auron said.

"Hell, Kat's busy cookin' some supper. With six mouths to feed, she's been workin' herself half to death, even with that black-haired boy helpin' out."

"So she was probably too distracted to notice us pull up?"

"Pretty much."

"Alright then. Show 'em the workshop." Auron said and stepped onto the porch, then through the door.

"Well, you three follow me. An' don't lag behind!" Preacher said and led them around the house.

* * *

"Hey, we're back. Did anymore Grimm show up while we were gone?" Ruby asked as she walked in the door. She was walking in backwards dragging a crate on wheels and didn't notice the extra four people in the room.

"No, but we got somethin' worse." Preacher answered and Ruby turned around immediately.

"What was-" She stopped when she saw team JKDW sitting in the living room.

"Hey guys! You're here!" She said and drug the crate in faster.

"Watch the damn carpet!" Preacher said loudly, then was smacked on the arm.

"Language, Preacher." Kathy said and glared at him.

"Sorry."

"Hey Ruby. How's the search going?" Jace asked.

"It's been put on hold while we help with the Grimm here."

"Where are the others?" Alyss asked her.

"Oh they're coming. We got a lot of stuff that Kathy needed too."

Jaune walked through the door carrying a large box full of dust. "Y'know, you could've came back out to help-"

He stopped short when he caught sight of Jace and his team. "Oh, hey guys."

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: It's positive. They're brothers. Jace has a whole lot to tell Alex. And the doctor was friendly about it all. I'm sure he's seen enough to not care too much about who or what people are.**

 **Things are getting rather… what's the phrase? Hot N' Heavy? Yeah, it's getting like that with Jace and Alyss. But they _do_ understand they they can't stay like that going against what's coming.**

 **And here they are in Mistral too, meeting back up with RNJR. Auron has big plans for his equipment. I'm not saying what it is because I want it to be a surprise, although some of you might guess one of them. They'll be here for awhile.**

 **See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	49. Chapter 48: Carry On

**Carry On**

From the day team JKDW arrived at Auron's home, both teams of Hunters-in-training and Preacher held off the regular attacking Grimm easily for the next week. And true to their word, Jace and Alyss had toned down their affections toward each other. Jace had also noticed that Auron's mood had considerably lightened as well. Before they arrived, he never smiled and barely even grinned since the invasion. Since he had returned home, he had been laughing more, smiling more, and joking more.

Everyone worked differently with killing the attacking Grimm. Having Ruby with _Crescent Rose_ , Raine with _Shagahod_ , and Preacher with Smoke's old high-caliber rifle, they picked off most Grimm that came at them while the others handled the few that made it close.

Jace used _Twin Fang_ until they got closer to him, then he would create a dustblade to cut them down. Auron kept them back with _Last Call_ , each twin-element round boring, burning, and bolting through the chests or heads of the Grimm. Alyss kept a suppressing fire on them like Jace had with _Twin Fang_ , switching _Soul Leaf_ into its glaive form and spinning and slicing through Grimm when they got close. Ren ran through and delivered quick and accurate slashes and shots with _Stormflower_. Jaune stayed near the house in case any Grimm made it past the others, blocking and cutting down the very few Grimm that were lucky enough to get there. Nora sent out her grenades and destroyed a multitude of Grimm before she even needed to use _Magnhild's_ hammer form.

After the last bit of Grimm were killed, everyone met and sat on the porch.

"So this is what you guys had to deal with when you got here?" Jace asked RNJR.

"Pretty much. We haven't been able to get any progress done with finding Cinder." Jaune answered.

"And Emowyn and Erron can't respond because of their duty in the council." Raine said and crossed her arms.

"It makes no sense that the Grimm would just attack for no reason. They never done that before." Auron remarked with a frown.

"Grimm activity _has_ been higher since the tournament. Maybe Cinder knows we're looking for her." Ruby said.

Preacher let out a snort of laughter. "You think she can control the Grimm?"

"She seemed to control the Dragon from the top of Beacon Tower. It would not come as a surprise to me." Ren answered.

"I can't wait to crush her with my hammer." Nora said with a small grin.

"I can't wait to see that." Auron said lowly.

"And I need to work on my weapon." Jace said and stood from his seat.

"What have you been working on?" Ruby asked.

"Come with me and I'll show you. You might be able to help out with some stuff too."

"Alright." Ruby said and jumped from her seat. The two left toward the workshop while the others stayed behind to talk.

"How's your leg been treatin' ya, Preacher?" Auron asked the old man.

"It's alright, not as bad as I figured it'd be. I got used to it a while ago. Still get that pain from time to time. Doctors say I need painkillers for it in my _old age_ … Bullshit," Preacher gumbled and shook his head, "I get by just fine without 'em."

"Unless mom forces you take a couple." Auron grinned.

"Yeah, she always was like a mother hen when it came to me an' Jeff…" Preacher smiled at the memories of days gone by as his eyes grew misty, "How's Jace deal with his arm?"

"He still gets the pain when he thinks back to everything that's happened. He's been okay lately though. The artificial nerves might be helping with that." Alyss answered.

"Artificial nerves?"

"Yeah. They made an upgrade for it that let's hm feel and the nerves just completely replaced his old ones." Alyss explained.

"Eh, at least I don't need to feel with my foot." Preacher said.

"Y'know," Raine started and got everyone's attention, "There's a crow in a branch of that apple tree that's just been sitting there since we killed those Grimm."

"Well, it'd better not be disrespectful to dad." Auron said and stood to go walk to the grave.

* * *

"So, I ordered a custom receiver, trigger, firing pin, and a few magazines with custom rounds and casings for it last week. I got the barrel for it here from when Auron fought those Spider Tanks. It'll basically be the first sword to ever need parts and ammo of that size, at least that I know of. What do you think of the design?" Jace asked as he held out his plans for Ruby to see.

Jace had the sword halfway completed already. The hilt and blade were made and separated on the workbench. He had taken metal from the scraps and reforged it into two long blades and had them laying on either side of the barrel. The reforging had taken away its black color and reverted it back to a normal silver. He had taken some of the glowing red bits and reworked them as well to attach to the blade when it was completed. He had the barrel from one of the four artillery guns of the tank and had it cut down to the length he needed. He retrieved the connectors and some other small parts he needed from the scraps of the Spider Tanks, but was still missing multiple key pieces. All he needed to do was wait for his parts to be made.

Ruby looked at the designs with a grin. "It looks pretty cool. So, when you want it to, the blade'll open up and kinda expand so you can fire it? And the rounds are gonna be bigger than what I use for _Crescent Rose_?"

"Yeah, not that much bigger though. I decided to go with the artillery rifle so I could use the recoil to do more damage with the weight of the sword and my strength. It's an Artillery Claymore basically."

"Man that sounds so cool. It still sucks that your _AGR_ was ruined too. They were still pretty experimental, weren't they?"

Jace nodded and grinned. "That's why I'm making this better than that thing. Hopefully they get the parts ready soon."

"Maybe you could make it like _Last Call._ " Ruby suggested.

"What do you mean?"

"Like, you know how when Auron has it in its sword form and he can make the tip of the blade retract and expose the tip of the barrel?" Jace nodded his head slowly. "I'm thinking maybe you could do that with this. It would give you a lot less moving parts to have to work with and clean. Plus it would cut down the time to make it."

Jace thought for a few moments and nodded his head. "That sounds pretty good. I'll need to talk to him about it. Thanks, Ruby."

She smiled and nodded. "Happy to help! How long have you been working on the design?"

"We decided to go visit Tai and Yang. We stayed and helped around the house for awhile. I wanted to pay Tai back for helping me that one time you guys found me and he let me use the draft paper he had in the workshop. And… really? A rocket launcher?"

"Well yeah! I wanted to do the most damage to Grimm that I could but that would've got _reeeeaaal_ expensive for dad. _Cressy_ does just as awesome as I ever hoped, though."

"The cookies helped, right?"

"Definitely," They both laughed for a few moments before Ruby's expression dropped, "How was Yang?" She asked sadly.

Jace gave a heavy sigh. "Tai said she was getting better throughout the couple months before we got there. Then she had a relapse and basically went back to square one a couple days before we showed up. I… I talked to her. And we ended up yelling at each other."

"What were you yelling about?"

"She ended up saying stuff like 'bad things just happen,' and I tried to get in a word or two, but then she said 'It's not like everything will go my way like it did for you.' And that just made me lose it."

"She said that to you?" Ruby asked in shock.

"Yeah… We didn't talk for two weeks after that. Then she apologized to me and she said she'd try to get better. Hopefully she does."

"Me too… I want my big sister back." Ruby said and kept tears held back.

Jace sighed and went back to getting the parts of his sword in the right order. "Yeah… I know how you feel…" He said silently, then he turned to Ruby to kinda change the subject, "Soooo… I have a brother…"

Ruby slowly looked to him with wide eyes. "Huh?"

* * *

"That crow still there?" Preacher asked as Auron returned from the grave.

"Yeah, it didn't seem to care about me any. It's weird."

"Oughtta fuckin' shoot it." Preacher mumbled under his breath.

"You know crows are some of the smartest creatures, right?" Raine remarked and grinned at the old man, "It wouldn't let you get your gun and aim at it before it would fly off."

"Don't they fly in like, gangs or something like that?" Nora asked and tilted her head a bit with her hands clasped behind her head.

"I believe the term is 'flocks,' dear." Ren corrected her.

"Whatever. So why is this one alone?"

"Why are we even talkin' about a damn crow?" Auron asked the group.

"I heard that, Auron." Kathy said from the door and made Auron jump.

"Busted." Preacher grinned.

"Sorry mom, an' shut it Preacher." Auron said to them both.

"Would you and Ren care to help me fix dinner?" Kathy asked.

"It is no trouble, Mrs. Karmine." Ren said and stood.

"He's too polite to call you by your first name, Kathy." Nora said before Kathy could say anything.

"I know. I would just rather be called by that, though." Kathy said and smiled, then walked back into the house as Auron and Ren followed after her.

* * *

"That had to have been awkward. Like _really_ awkward." Ruby said after Jace told her about Alex.

"It really was. And we still have a lot to talk about." Jace replied to her as he stared to the north.

"What's he like?"

"Nervous at first, really. But he warms up quick. I'm glad I got the hard part out of the way with telling him about the dust and Faunus in me."

"I guess he's fine with it, right? I mean, you don't look like you're mad when you talk about him like if he said something bad about you."

"No, trust me. We're both really glad we turned out to be family. It's really weird having a younger brother."

"Don't take tips from Yang, please. She'll tell you to make bad puns and to tease him about everything." Ruby laughed.

"Good advice," Jace grinned, "I had a thought."

"About what?" Ruby asked.

"Isn't team SSSN from Mistral? If no one can get a hold of the Rangers, why not try to find them?"

Ruby's eyes went wide and she facepalmed. "I can't believe I forgot! I need to call them." She brought out her scroll.

"They might know a good place for you to start looking. Or they can search for you while you guys stay here. If Cinder _does_ know you're here, that might be best so they don't follow you to the city."

"Good idea." She replied.

Jace sighed. "But I don't know… at least the city has the big wall around it and guards patrolling it. Maybe you guys _should_ go…" He bit his lower lip in thought.

"We'll think of something, don't worry," Ruby said and found Sun's number. She called and had it on speaker when Sun answered. "Ruby? Hey, it's good to talk to you again. How are you?"

"Good for now. So, we need some help."

"With what?"

"We need you guys to try and find out if you can find where Cinder is."

"Cinder? You mean the woman that caused the invasion?"

"Yeah. We would do it, but we're at Auron's house south of the city. We've been helping fight back Grimm here."

"Auron's house? Why are you there?"

"He told us to come here until we found a quiet spot in the city. You know a good place?"

"Oh, yeah I do! Listen, we can come down there and meet up with you soon. Then we can take you there."

"Alright. Sounds good, Sun!"

"How are they doing, anyway? Auron and his team?"

"We're alright. Hey Sun." Jace greeted.

"Jace!? You're awake!?"

"Yeah, I'm _wiiide_ awake. We're in Mistral too."

"Well, I didn't expect that. Good to hear. I guess we'll see you guys as soon as we can. We might have to walk if we can't get a cab and that'll take awhile." Sun said and they ended the call.

"So, we got more backup." Jace remarked.

"Yep. Things are finally moving forward."

* * *

Jace smiled widely at the email he received while he sat on the porch with Ruby and Auron. Auron could already guess what it was about as he had received the same message.

"They're already made. That was sooner than what I expected."

"That's another reason why Savage Arms is one of my favorite weapon mod companies. They get things done so fast. Same with S&S." Ruby said with a grin.

"We might head into the city when you guys go. If the Grimm did attack here after you guys, they'd probably only follow you. They'd probably leave the house alone."

"That's a good point. We might have to fight them along the way. Or we could just drive past them."

"When do you think they'll be here?" Alyss asked as she sat down with them.

"Well, Sun said that they'll have to walk or take a cab since they don't have a vehicle." Ruby answered.

"Think eight people can fit in the back of your truck, Auron?" Jace asked the taller teen.

"If they squeeze together maybe." Auron replied.

"Something's gonna have to be figured out." Ruby said and crossed her arms.

"Maybe a couple people from our teams can stay here." Alyss suggested.

"Like who?" Jace asked.

"Maybe Auron and Raine, Nora and Ren?"

"Do you know how to drive a truck?" Auron asked and raised an eyebrow.

"My dad taught me, but I can't remember," Jace said and sighed, "I guess it would be good to have people stay back here in case Grimm _do_ attack again. I need to get those parts. And I'll get yours too. You and Raine are good for keeping them at a distance, Nora and Ren can handle them up close along with you and Raine if you need to. Maybe Neptune and Sage to help with both up close and distance."

"Then there would be six here and six going to the city. That sounds like a good plan." Ruby agreed.

"Well, come on then Jace. Gotta teach ya to drive." Auron said and led Jace to the truck.

* * *

"Auron!" They heard Preacher yell from the roof.

"What it's it, old man!?"

"Why's there four more damn kids comin' here!?"

"Because they can! Now stop aimin' at 'em with the rifle!"

He heard Preacher mumble something loudly and grew silent. A few moments later, the former Ranger stomped out the front door in annoyance as he rubbed his arm.

"Mom slap you?" Auron asked with a grin.

"Shut it," Preacher said irritably, "They'd better not be stayin' here. We barely got enough room as it is."

"Don't worry, they aren't staying. At least two of them aren't." Raine said and stood up.

"We'll explain it to ya when they get here." Auron said and followed Raine.

Preacher shook his head and took Auron's seat, then leaned back.

Teams RNJR and JKDW made their way to the front of the house and waited for SSSN to arrive. After fifteen minutes of waiting, the group of tired students finally reached them.

"Okay, first we're gonna rest. Then we'll do something." Sun said as they came to a stop. "Gods, my heart feels like its gonna come outta my chest.

"Three days of walking can do that to you. It's good seeing you guys are alright." Jace said and looked between them.

"You too. How long have you been awake?" Neptune asked.

"Probably about six or seven months. I'm glad to be out doing something."

"Maybe you can carry Neptune back with us. He's been complaining about all the walking." Sage said with a grin.

"Shut up, Sage," Neptune responded as Sage laughed, "Anyway, what happened to your prosthetic?" He directed the question at Jace.

"Upgrade. I can feel with it now." He answered easily.

"Cool. So, what are we doing about going back?"

"We got a plan for that. It'll be six people goin' an' six people stayin'." Auron said and led everyone to the porch.

"What do you mean by that?" Scarlet asked.

Jace was the one to answer. "Since everyone can't fit in the truck, it'll be me, Alyss, Sun, you, Ruby, and Jaune going. I'll be driving, Alyss'll be riding in the front with me and you four'll be in the back."

"What about the rest of us?" Neptune asked.

"You guys'll stay here in case more Grimm attack. It's for the best." Ruby answered.

"So, when are we going?" Jaune asked.

"Any time." Ruby said and looked to the group that would go.

"I'm ready when you are now that we have a vehicle." Sun said and stood up.

"Same." Scarlet said.

"Let me get _Titan_ rolled somewhere and we'll go." Jace said and went to roll the large motorcycle around to the workshop.

* * *

"Why are you going into the city too?" Sun asked through the open back window.

"I ordered some custom parts for a new weapon and they're already made and ready to pick up," Jace answered, "And I'm picking up a few things for Auron too."

"What are you working on?"

"An Artillery Claymore."

"The hell is that?" Scarlet asked.

"You know how big the ammo for Ruby's scythe is?"

"Yeah." They both answered.

"It's gonna have bigger rounds than that. Not a lot bigger, but bigger. I'll have to show you when I pick them up."

"Bigger than _Crescent Rose_? Artillery's a good word for it then." Sun said and shook his head.

"I'll show you the draft when we get back."

"It's really cool." Ruby told them.

"I haven't even seen your draft yet." Jaune said.

"You never asked," Jace replied, "At least I still have my dustblades to get me by."

They emerged from the forest and saw the city in the distance. Jace drove a bit faster to hopefully get there sooner.

"Hey Jaune, how are you doing?" Sun asked the other blonde.

"Working through it still, but I've been doing better since I talked with Auron when we were in Atlas. I'm doing my best to be her living legacy." Jaune answered and looked down.

"I'm sure you can do it." Sun said with a nod.

Jaune held his fingers to his lips and held his head down. "Yeah… I hope I can."

Back in the front of the truck, Alyss smiled as she held Jace's hand over the central armrests. She bit her lip and twitched her ears as she thought over a decision she had been trying to make. "I'm… I'm thinking about getting my one of my cat ears pierced…" She said a bit nervously.

"Oh really?" Jace asked with a raised eyebrow, "What kind?"

"I don't know. I was thinking a small ring near the tip of my left ear and two studs near the bottom, but… I just don't know. It would hurt so much since they're so sensitive. What do you think?"

"I think it would look really pretty on you," Jace answered without thinking, "Especially if they're silver because that would go really great with your colors."

"You really think so?" Alyss asked and he nodded, "I still don't know. I'm worried that it might ruin my ear and I haven't see any other Faunus with piercings on their ears like that."

"I'm sure if you find the right place, they'll take special caution with it."

"Hey, I know a place that's actually run by a fox Faunus. She's got piercings in her ears," Scarlet said from the window, "It's where I got mine and the lady that does them is really careful about it. It's called _Shining Star Body Art_. It's where Sage got his tattoos too."

"Where's it at?" Jace asked.

"It's actually right down the road from Savage Arms. You can't miss it."

"Thanks," Jace said to him, "What do you think?" He asked Alyss.

"It's still kind of an intimidating thought…"

Jace bit his lip in thought. "Hmm… Okay, how about this. If you do it, I'll do it." He suggested simply.

"You'd really get your ear pierced like that?" She asked.

"I mean, you said you've been thinking about it. And honestly, I don't want you to do it alone if you're scared," He said with a smile, "I'll do it if it'll make you comfortable. I'll even do it first."

"Do I get to pick?"

"Sure. As long as it's a stud because I don't want anything dangly."

Alyss smiled brightly but Jace couldn't see it from keeping his eyes on the dirt path to the main road. "Okay… I'll do it. I actually thought about a light tan, too…"

"Really?" Jace asked in surprise, "I honestly think you look beautiful enough. But it's your choice. Either way, you're gorgeous."

"Thanks, sweetie."

Jace gave a short laugh. "You're just trying to make me drool over you even more, aren't you?"

* * *

"Crow's gone." Raine said and got the others' attention.

"What crow?" Neptune asked.

"A crow that's been sittin' on a branch in that apple tree for most of the past few days." Auron answered.

"It flew off toward the city when Jace and the others left." Raine said.

"Alright, so let me get this straight," Preacher got Auron's attention, " _Jackhammer's_ back at your dorm in Beacon?"

"Yeah. If I could, I'd go get it in a heartbeat. But dad wouldn't want me gettin' myself killed tryin' to get it back." Auron answered.

"An' what makes you think it'll still be there when you do decide to get it back?"

"'Cause no one's stupid enough to go anywhere near that Dragon."

"Good point. What about your friend? He said his brother an' dad was killed because o' Hawk. How did that happen exactly?"

"Well, they got cornered in a clearin' a while after they escaped. That scientist had their dad killed in front of 'em. They fought off an army of mercs but their auras got taken down too much an' a lot of 'em shot at his brother when they got a clear shot. He died an' gave Jace his sword, _Standoff_."

"Where's that sword now?"

"It's… back at Beacon too. At the base of the tower an' stuck in the ground."

"Why's it there still?"

"He fell from the top of the tower an' the sword went into his side. It got stuck to the ground by his aura an' I couldn't get it for 'im."

"You kids got a lot of work to do…" Preacher shook his head, "A fuckin' shit ton o' work."

* * *

"It's right here." Sun said and Jace stopped the truck.

They came to a stop at an old warehouse near the docks, between the lower and middle-class districts. It didn't seem to be used anymore aside from what Sun had said they did to it. They walked inside and they saw a couple of computers, a vidcaster with a game console, a refrigerator, and multiple practice targets.

"Welcome to our secret base." Sun said and jumped up to sit on a large stack of boxes.

"Whoa… you guys did all of this?" Jaune asked in awe.

"Yeah, we found it a while back and found out no one had been using it for years. We just got some things together and made it our own hangout spot." Scarlet said with a grin.

"That's pretty cool." Ruby said and looked around more.

"You guys can come here and use this place and no one should bother you. And we'll help out when we can." Sun said to them.

"You guys can look around, I need to go pick up those parts," Jace said and turned toward the door, "We'll be back later."

"See you then." Ruby said to them.

* * *

"You weren't kidding when you said it would be larger bullets." Alyss said as she held one of the large rounds and placed her bag of items in the truck. While Jace had picked up his and Auron's orders, she went to a nearby store and bought new shampoo and conditioner for her hair, among other things.

"I'll need it. I can't wait to put it together. I still need to decide on a name for it too." Jace replied and set the boxes in the back of the truck. He looked at the magazines that Auron ordered and started to wonder what he was going to use them for. He wondered the same about the actuators, connectors, and gears as well. He shrugged and decided to let it rest for now.

They got in the truck and drove away from their last stop, Savage Arms Industries. Jace drove just down the street to the place Scarlet directed them to. Jace set all the weapon parts inside the truck cab and locked the doors.

"Nervous?" Jace asked.

" _Really_ nervous." Alyss almost whimpered as they walked through the door.

" _Helllooo_!" A fox Faunus with light-brown hair and long, fluffy ears of the same color greeted them in a singsong voice. She had three golden rings in each of her fox ears and multiple different tattoos on her arms, "I'm Seras and welcome to _Shining Star Body Art_."

"Hello. I hope you don't mind me saying this, but you have longer ears than our teammate. She's a fox Faunus too." Jace said with a grin as he greeted her.

The older woman giggled a bit. "Foxes _do_ generally have different sized ears depending on the kind. I take after a fennec fox. What about your teammate?"

"Red fox." Alyss answered.

"Yep, I got the long ones," Seras grinned, "Now, what may I do for the young and adorable couple?" She asked with a smile.

"We're looking to get our ears pierced," Jace answered and squeezed Alyss' hand, "She's really nervous about it so I'm doing it too."

"That's sweet of you then. I know that it seems really scary, but you just have to be calm and trust me. It's not as bad as it seems," The woman said to Alyss, "Now, who's first?" She asked.

"Me. It'll hopefully get her a bit more comfortable." Jace answered.

"Okay, stud or ring?"

"Stud in my right ear. Alyss is choosing which."

"Oh, that's a pretty name," Seras smiled. She went behind the counter and brought a case full of different studs for Alyss to see, "Now, which one of these do you like?" Each of them were different colors ranging from silver to gold to platinum. And almost all had different gemstones embedded in them such as rubies, sapphires, topazes, and amethysts. Alyss browsed them for a moment before she caught sight of a small silver stud with a smooth-cut emerald. She pointed it out and Seras smiled again.

"Okay, sit tight and I'll get everything ready." She said and went to prepare her equipment. Jace sat in the chair that Seras pointed him to and Alyss sat next to him.

"You're sure you wanna do this?" She asked him.

"I'm sure. I'd be lying if I said I never considered it when I was younger." Jace answered and pecked her on the cheek.

"I guess I should prepare myself, then." Alyss said quietly as Seras returned.

"Alrighty then, let's get started, shall we?" She set the different supplies on the small table next to Jace and put a pair of rubber gloves on. She wetted a piece of cloth with alcohol and looked back at Jace with a serious expression. "You _are_ sure you want to do this, right?"

Jace nodded. "Yep. I don't wanna waste this trip."

Seras nodded and worked on cleaning Jace's ear with the alcohol to sterilize it. "I can tell by your outfits that you're both Hunters. Since that's a thing, you're gonna need to break your aura so it doesn't heal itself. Do you have a semblance or anything you can use that'll drain your aura quickly?"

Jace nodded. "Yeah, I do. I'd hold onto all of your stuff there." Jace said and Seras complied. Jace activated his semblance and grew his body out and grew his wings, careful not to knock anything over, and took a deep breath. He held his hands in front of him and made an ice claymore as well and started pumping his aura into that. He held it to his side away from Seras and started to feel the drain from doing all of that at once.

"That's new," Seras commented, "The last Hunter in here almost burned the shop down with hers. And I didn't know ice dust in gloves let you do that. Although I'm not a Hunter, so I don't really know what all dust can be used for."

"Yeah, the gloves are pretty useful for that." Jace replied.

"Would either of you be interested in a tattoo? I use dust for special ones. It goes onto your skin but not embedded in it. That's for Hunter's only because you need your aura unlocked for it."

"I don't think either of us are ready for that," Alyss said, "But how do you do it?"

"I trail designs on your skin with a dust of your choosing and then you follow that trail with your aura. It's a very specially worked type of dust. Doing it like that makes the dust stick itself to your skin and it'll stay there. The cool part about that is it glows when you move your aura over it."

"Hmm… Maybe someday we can come back for one like that." Jace said.

After a few minutes, the combination of his semblance and the ice-cold dustblade completely drained his aura. It broke and his semblance deactivated and his sword crumbled to dust. "Okay… okay. That did it."

"Alright! Now comes the fun." Seras said with a laugh and re-sterilized his ear with a new cloth. She wiped at it for several moments and set it aside, then she grabbed the needle. She held Jace's earlobe and pulled lightly, then pushed the needle through quickly to limit the pain. To Jace's credit, he only grunted and gritted his teeth at the sting. Seras brought a clean cloth up to clean the blood. When she did that, she grabbed the stud and fixed it into his ear, then she screwed the ball on the other end. With that, she was done.

"And that's it for you," Seras said and cleaned his ear a bit more, "Here's a mirror. Tell us ladies what you think." She handed him a small mirror.

Jace took it and tilted his head to the side so he could see the piercing on his right ear. He smiled widely at the color of the gem. "The color of Gen's aura…" He said quietly. He turned to Alyss and kissed her on the cheek, "I like it. Now it's your turn."

Alyss took a deep breath and nodded. "I've already been using my semblance since you told Jace to. And biting my lip really hard out of nervousness probably helped too…" She said and switched seats with Jace. She looked at him and smiled, "You wanna pick mine? It's only fair."

"Sure. I already have something in mind."

"What do you want? Stud or ring?" Seras asked her.

"Umm, two studs and a ring." She pointed to the spots on her left cat ear where she wanted them.

"Alright, pick out the studs and I'll go get the ring case." Seras said and went behind the counter again.

Jace looked over all of the studs and in the section of the silver ones. He looked around and smiled at two that he set his eyes on. One with a ruby and one with an amethyst. Both studs were fairly small as well, like his, and wouldn't weigh Alyss' ear down. They were beautifully cut with different angles shining with reflected light unlike the smooth emerald Alyss had chosen. Seras came back with the ring case and Jace looked in it, then he found a silver ring with a very small pendant on it that dangled from a very small chain. A type of cat head. He pointed all of them out and Seras nodded with a grin. She went to the back to find the correct studs and earring as she returned the display cases back to their original spots.

Jace went to Alyss' side and grinned at her. "You ready?"

"As ready as I can be…" She answered.

"How does mine look on me?" Jace asked and turned his head for her to see.

She smiled. "I like it."

"And because of that, I'll put up with anyone laughing."

Alyss giggled and bit her lip again. "I'm scared…" She whispered.

"Aww, c'mere," Jace said and pulled her into a hug. He started gently rubbing and petting her ears and he kissed the side of her head as she started to purr lightly, "I'm sure it's not so bad. She'll be careful with you and it's only a little sting. It'll be okay, kitten."

"Am I hearing purring?" Seras asked with a grin as she returned to the room, seeing Jace petting Alyss' ears.

"Yeah, this helps calm me down when I'm nervous." Alyss answered.

"Well that's up there with the most adorable things I've ever seen," Seras said to them. She moved the small table to Alyss' left side and put on a new pair of gloves. She put alcohol onto a clean cloth and worked on cleaning Alyss' ear, "Okay, what I'm gonna do for this is I'm gonna dip the needle in a special liquid. When it goes through your ear, it'll completely numb it. This is something we do for Faunus only because of how sensitive our ears are. It'll feel _super_ weird but it won't hurt at all. Okay?"

Alyss nodded and perked up a bit after hearing that. Jace stopped petting her ears as Seras moved closer with the coated needle. She stuck it through near the tip of Alyss' ear and she squeaked a bit at the feeling.

"You okay, sweetie?" Seras asked and worked with cleaning the blood.

"Yeah, I'm good. It _does_ feel really weird." Alyss answered.

"Told you." Seras grinned and she soon had the ring fixed in her ear. She repeated the process two more times and finished with cleaning Alyss' ear of blood.

"And we're finished!" Seras said and handed her the small mirror, "That wasn't so bad now was it?"

"No… not as bad as I imagined," Alyss answered and looked into the mirror. She looked up at her ears and she smiled widely at seeing what Jace chose for her, "Oh Oum, I love them!" She said and hugged Jace.

"I'm glad. I picked our aura color because of how we're together like we are. It looks beautiful on you. And I picked the cat pendant because you're my wonderful and adorable kitten." He said and pecked her on the lips.

"Thank you for giving me the push."

"Any time."

"It's really nice to see such a happy couple," Seras said and threw her gloves in the trash and put the needles in a separate bin, "Now, let's ring you both up!"

She stepped over behind the counter and brought a calculator out. She started typing in numbers as she talked to herself, "Okay, three silver studs and one silver ring, an amethyst, a ruby, and an emerald… Now the Hunter's discount…" She put all the numbers into the calculator and got the final price, "Okay, that'll be one hundred lien for everything."

Jace looked through his wallet and pulled the lien from it. He handed it to her and smiled. "Thank you, Seras. I'm glad our friend told us about this place."

"A friend? Who would that be?"

"Scarlet David. He told us about it on the way into the city." Alyss answered.

"Oh, be sure to tell Scar he can come back for that discount any time. Now, is that everything?" Seras asked them both.

"Yeah, that's it. Have a good day." Jace said and they started to leave.

"Oh, remember to clean them before you go to bed tonight. Your auras will come back soon enough and then you won't have to worry."

"Okay, thank you." Alyss said with a smile.

"And thank you both for what you do."

* * *

It took them an hour of driving through the streets to make their way back to team SSSN's 'secret base.'

When they arrived, they saw Ruby and Jaune talking to two older people. One man that had emerald colored eyes, wearing gray jeans and a black shirt with a short red and gold cape hanging from his left shoulder, and a woman with long, flowing red and gray hair wearing a red button-up shirt and blue jeans. They both had tears in their eyes as the woman held Pyrrha's circlet in her hands.

Jace parked the truck in front of the back entrance of the warehouse and they went inside. "Huh, it's amazing to see what piercings can do to change how someone looks." Sun remarked to them.

"How was Seras?" Scarlet asked them.

"Really nice. She says you can come back for some discount whenever you want to." Alyss replied.

"What discount?" Sun asked.

"For referring new customers." Scarlet answerd with a grin.

"Who are Ruby and Jaune talking to?" Jace asked them.

Sun sighed as he looked down. "Pyrrha's parents."

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: Now that Jace and Auron have the parts, they can finally make what they want to make. And Pyrrha's parents are here now, that's a thing. Jaune and Ruby have to explain a lot.**

 **I hope I did well with the piercings and how they were done. I don't know if I got it right or not. But yeah, our resident kitty cat got her ear pierced and Jace did** **to make her more comfortable about it. That was simple but fun to write.**

 **See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	50. Chapter 49: Omen in the Sky

**AN: Sorry this is late. I'm dumb sometimes.**

 **XxXxX**

 **Omen In The Sky**

Jace walked from the warehouse and went to where Ruby and Jaune were talking with Pyrrha's mother and father. When he arrived he could see clearly that their faces were stained with tears.

"Hey Ruby, hey Jaune." Jace said quietly and stood next to them.

"Hey Jace… t-this is Helena and Epirus. P-Pyrrha's mom and dad." Ruby introduced them as her voice quivered.

"Hello. Nice to meet you both." Jace greeted nervously.

"Hello. Good to meet you as well. Ruby told us that you tried to… save her." Helena said slowly as she held the circlet close to her chest.

"I… I tried… b-but… I-I wasn't good enough…" Jace said in a whisper and looked to the ground, "I promised everyone I would help if they needed it… but when it mattered, I failed."

"You did try, though?" Epirus asked.

"Yeah…" Jaune said sadly.

Epirus stepped forward and wrapped his arms around them all. "Thank you all so much for staying by her side."

He stepped back from them and they could see tears in both Epirus' and Helena's eyes have started falling more. "She's gone… But she left behind very caring friends." Helena said.

"And… she was… turned to ash?" Epirus asked them.

"S-she was what?" Jace asked and looked to the others.

"T-the only thing left was her c-circlet… I'm so sorry." Ruby said as tears started to fall down her cheeks.

"Why… Why didn't anyone tell me?" Jace asked as his eyes grew blurry.

"I don't believe anyone would've wanted to," Helena said quietly, "Jaune and Ruby told us you were in a coma. It would've been too much to deal with." She said as evenly as she could.

"I wish I was faster… I wish I was just _better_ …" Jace replied to her as he held his head down.

"Are you a part of her team?" Epirus asked Jace.

"No, I'm not, but my team is here too. We're watching Ruby and Jaune's backs while they look for the woman that did that to Pyrrha."

"Your team… Who are they?" Helena asked.

"My girlfriend is in that building over there, Alyss Wystar. Then there's Raine Daturas. She's an apprentice Ranger. And the other is Auron Karmine."

"Auron? The same boy that fought against Pyrrha four years in a row?" Epirus asked with a small bit of happiness returning in his emerald eyes.

"Yeah, that's him. He's at his house south of the city now." Ruby answered.

"I remember being at his father's funeral… Is he okay?" Epirus asked.

Jace nodded. "For a while, he wasn't. He didn't take it too well with both his dad dying and… Pyrrha… in the same year. Now that he's back in Mistral with his family, he's been doing a lot better."

"It's good that he is doing well." Epirus said with a sad smile.

"I think we might need to get back to his house now and talk things over with them. It was good to meet you both." Ruby said and bowed her head to them as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"You kids be careful," Epirus said and shook their hands, "And Jaune… carry on her spirit."

"I'll do my best, sir," Jaune replied and Helena went to hand the circlet back to Jaune.

He took hold of it and ran his fingers along its surface. "No… you deserve to keep it." He said and handed it back to her, "She trained me and I'm gonna have those skills to carry on. That circlet is the only thing left that she had and you deserve to have it. To keep something of hers."

"Thank you, Jaune." Helena said and clutched the circlet close to her chest.

"We will take our leave now. Stay safe." Epirus said and the two left them.

Jace stood in silence at the news of what exactly happened to Pyrrha. "Auron told me she didn't get a burial…" He he said shakily.

"No… she didn't." Jaune answered quietly.

"Just like them…" Jace said to himself.

* * *

"I leave you alone for six hours an you two go an' get your ears pierced?" Auron said and shook his head toward Jace and Alyss.

"Alyss wanted her ear pierced and I did it to give her a push." Jace replied.

"It looks nice on you both." Raine said to them.

"Thanks, Raine. It wasn't as bad as I thought." Alyss said.

"How'd it all go in the city?" Auron asked.

"They have a cool hideout." Ruby said, causing Neptune and Sage to grin.

"Any Grimm show up?" Jace asked.

"No, it's been pretty quiet. Well, except for someone's snoring." Raine said and glanced over at where Preacher was on the porch.

"We umm… we met Pyrrha's parents too." Jaune said.

"Y-you talked to Pyrrha's mom and dad?" Nora asked to make sure she heard right.

"Yeah, we did… We told them about what happened." Jaune answered.

"I wish I could've met them." Nora said sadly.

"How'd they take the news?" Auron asked.

"They were as calm as they could be about it. From when I got back, at least." Jace said and sighed.

They stayed silent for a few minutes while they thought about Pyrrha. After a few more moments, they separated to different parts of the property. Ren went under the apple tree to meditate, opposite of the grave. Raine went to the roof to keep an eye on the tree line. Ruby brought out her toolkit and gave _Crescent Rose_ some maintenance. Nora walked around and talked with Jaune while he told her about Pyrrha's parents. SSSN took their leave and walked back toward the city. Jace and Auron took their weapon parts and walked toward the workshop along with Alyss.

"That damn crow's back again." Auron muttered and looked at the bird as they walked by the tree.

"Is it stalking us or something?" Alyss asked jokingly and grinned.

"It's gettin' weird." Auron said and shook his head. "Anyway, what did you need my help with, Jace?"

"I need to know how you made the tip of your sword retract and extend. I'm gonna do that with my weapon." Jace answered.

"I'm probably gonna need to see your plans then. I need to see Jaune about somethin' sometime too."

* * *

 **One month later**

"Is there a reason you're just sitting here, looking all relaxed?" Alyss asked as she came out of the house in the morning light, seeing Jace sitting on the porch swing, "I thought you would be working on your weapon."

Jace looked at her and smiled a bit. "You know what today is, don't you?"

"It's the fifteenth of September," Alyss answered and thought about it for a moment, then her eyes widened, "It's your birthday?"

"Yeah, it is. Just for today, if I can, I just want to relax and think."

"Do you care if I relax and think with you then?"

Jace smiled again and patted the spot on the porch swing next to him. She smiled back and sat down, then leaned against him.

"Happy birthday, Jace."

"Thanks."

She threaded her fingers through his and put their hands on her lap. "What are you thinking about?"

"It's been a year since I've been through all that. Since dad and Gen died and since I lost my arm. There's been so much that happened since then."

Alyss squeezed his hand. "And you're taking a day off to relax?"

Jace nodded. "I'm just thinking back to all the good times we had, like back when I first met Genesis. He said I'd never be alone again," He looked to Alyss and kissed her on the lips, "And I'm not."

"The seventeenth is mom's birthday." Alyss said and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Really? Just two days after mine? That's weird."

"It kinda is. It… It still hurts, y'know?" She said quietly.

Jace leaned his head over an rested it on hers. "I know it does. Everything just happened too fast. It's still hard on us all."

"I don't know why he came back and did that to her… H-how did he even find us…?"

"Hey, don't think about that. I doubt we'll ever know why he did it or how he found your house, but he's not gonna do anything else. If he does, we'll be here. _I'll_ be here."

Alyss wiped at her eyes with the top of her hand and smiled. "Thanks Jace. I think I should start taking your dad's advice."

"You just have to take it at your own pace too."

"Yeah, you're right," Alyss agreed and moved to look at Jace, "So, what would you want for your birthday?"

"What I want?" Jace asked back, then thought on it, "Honesty, I just want to sit here with my kitten. And to pet and scritch your ears."

Alyss smiled widely and leaned back into him. "That can work."

* * *

 **One month later**

"Okay… the rounds fit the receiver perfectly… the barrel fits perfectly… I have the trigger and the grip set up right…" Jace said everything to himself as he looked the weapon over, making sure everything was in place just how he needed it to be.

"And the tip…" He put his aura through the sword from the hilt and watched the tip of the blade retract to show the barrel. The red runes on the sides of the blade lit up as well as his aura passed through the blade.

"Now the magazine…" He took one of the four magazines he had for it and inserted one into the bottom of the blade, above the hilt. The magazine would be pointing towards the ground when he held it ready for a fight. Almost like Auron's now.

The gunslinger had removed the ammunition tube from under _Last Call's_ barrel and replaced it with a long metal bar to avoid having to modify the blade. He fixed the receiver of it to take a magazine, like a new-age rifle, but still had the lever-action to it. He had that plan since his sparring match with Pyrrha. Auron wanted the reloading of it to be faster and now he could hold more ammunition for it with the magazines. He had also modified his revolvers to break open like a double barreled shotgun, letting him use speed-loaders for them both for faster reloading as well.

Jace took his weapon and held it experimentally, getting accustomed to switching magazines. Before he assembled it, he had polished it the best he could along with oiling every part of it.

He put his aura into it again and made the grip extend from the side of the blade, right above the receiver. He took hold of it with his right hand and tested the weight of it for aiming. It was something he would have to aim from the hip due to its size. Jace nodded to himself and made the grip retract and the tip of the sword extend fully.

"And now I need to test you." He said and took the sword outside the workshop.

As he walked, he swung the sword around a bit, getting the feel for the weight and the balance of it now that he had more room. He would definitely need to spend time training with it. He came to a stop and noticed that same crow sitting on top of the workshop. Jace grinned and shook his head at it. It seemed rather interested in what he had created.

"Did you finally finish it?"

Jace turned and saw Alyss standing there, smiling at him. "Yeah. I'm about to test it out."

"Care if I watch?"

"You'd be the second." Jace said and looked back to the crow.

"Alright then. Have fun." Alyss said and Jace smiled.

"You might wanna cover your ears." He suggested.

Alyss shook her head. "I'm gonna have to get used to it, same with you."

"Alright, if you're sure."

He made sure he had rounds in the magazine before he did anything. He inserted the magazine back in when he saw it was full and pulled the charging handle back on the right side of the receiver to chamber one of the large rounds. Jace looked toward the forest and made the tip of the blade retract and the grip extend. He took hold of the grip and took a deep breath as he steadied the blade out at hip-level.

"Well, here we go." He said and pulled the trigger.

The weapon gave off a loud report and a small shockwave kicked up dust and blades of grass in front of him. His muscles held well against the powerful recoil of the shot. If he had to, he could've definitely used it to give power to an attack.

"What's going on!?"

Jace and Alyss looked over to see a flurry of rose petals flowing behind Ruby as she came to a stop next to Alyss.

"Just testing out my sword." Jace answered with a grin.

"That thing's loud!"

"It really is." Alyss remarked as her ears were flattened out against her head.

"And it's got a big kick to it." Jace said and fired again toward the forest.

He fired another few shots to make sure the rounds cycled well, and they did just as he had hoped. Jace gave a wide smile and rested the sword on his shoulder.

"I finally made my own sword."

* * *

"How's the rounds comin' along?" Auron asked as he sat across the table from Jace on the porch, painting his armguard. He had said that he wore the black for anyone who had to go through their own hell. For his armguard, he told them that he would wear it for his fallen friend. Like Jaune, Nora, and Ren had a bit of Pyrrha's colors on them in her memory, Auron was painting his armguard a bronze-gold color. It would match up to the red that lit up with his aura as well.

"Good. I need a lot of burn-powder, but it's worth it." Jace answered with a grin.

"An' everything works smoothly with it?"

"Yeah. It works great. I'm gonna need to modify the case on _Titan_ to hold it though, to go with _Standoff_ when I get it back. I'm just glad I brought that stuff with me too."

"You've been workin' on that for what, two months? Now we should be able to keep the Grimm back easier."

"How's your armguard and your rifle?"

"The shells feed into _Last Call_ like they should. It's weird for me to be usin' a mag like Ruby or you now. I've been gettin' used to it. An' my armguard does like it should. Weird gettin' used to it too. Jaune's actually a good teacher." Auron replied as he finished his task. He set it to the side to dry, which shouldn't take long since it was a special type of paint that shouldn't chip and it should dry faster.

Jace thought of something and sighed. "Can I ask you a favor?"

"What is it?"

"Can you finish up on my ammo for me? I just remembered I need to get to training my semblance with those wings."

"Sure, go on an' fly with that crow or somethin'."

"Thanks." Jace said and handed over all his dust to Auron, then went off the porch.

He pulsed his aura through his body and activated the first stage of his semblance. _"At least I can separate the wings from it."_ He mused in his head. He was still confused as to whether or not the wings were a part of his semblance or the experiments, but he decided to just not think about it too long. Those thoughts usually veered him towards other, worse thoughts about it.

He felt the power flow through him as his body grew with his semblance. This was what he could deal with, just his body growing larger and not the wings added to it. Afterwards, he'd need to see if his prosthetic still worked as it should with the new actuators. He had already tested it out months prior, but he wanted to make sure. He stayed for a few moments while sitting in the first stage of his semblance, then he put more aura into it.

He felt the strange feeling from his back and looked around. Sure enough, the silver wings were there. He felt his aura drain quicker and he let himself go into the air a little ways. He closed his eyes and stayed in one spot while his wings kept him in the air. Then, despite his efforts not to, he started to think about it.

If the wings growing from his semblance was caused by the Faunus DNA, then they would surely stay on his back. Instead, they evaporate off of him like what the rose petals of Ruby's semblance did. And the wings were actual feathers as well. Jace held the one Alyss had handed him the night Beacon fell and it felt soft and real. It didn't seem to be made of any dust either.

 _"Maybe… maybe it's just my semblance…"_ He thought to himself and he gave a rueful smile, _"And Raine said it first after it happened… and I fucking snapped and yelled at her…"_

He opened his eyes back up after a few more moments and started fly over to different spots around the house. He saw Ren meditating under the apple tree again. He went around the corner of the house and saw Jaune, Nora and Ruby walking around. They noticed him flying and stopped in their tracks, then waved slowly. Jace grinned and waved back. He flew upward and saw Raine and Preacher on the roof.

"What the fuck!?" Preacher yelled out in shock.

"First off, Preacher. Ow. That was my ear you yelled into," Raine said and twitched her fox ears back and forth from the old man's yell, "Second, that's his semblance."

"Ain't heard o' one like that. It's damn weird."

Jace laughed to himself and felt himself getting tired, so he went to the ground and rested on the front porch.

"Have fun?" Auron asked as he worked on the dust tips for the rounds.

"Tired now. I should've trained that more after I woke up. I think I scared Preacher."

"Yeah. I heard 'im yell. Nothin' gets 'im like that anymore really." Auron said and strapped his armguard on as the paint had already dried. He made sure it was strapped well and went back to making the ammo.

"How'd it feel?" Jace heard Alyss ask as she stepped from the house.

"It's not like riding a motorcycle. It's really weird. I guess I need to get used to it."

Alyss sat next to him and leaned against his shoulder. "I'm sure you can. What about your arm?"

Jace lifted the prosthetic up and moved it around. "It feels alright. I guess the actuators still work well. I'm actually starting to think it just comes from my semblance now and not the DNA or dust."

"How'd you come up with that?" Auron asked.

"I mean, I'm sure they'd stay if they just grew from the Faunus DNA. And the feathers feel pretty real, and not like it's made of any dust. I actually think it's just my semblance."

"Good for ya. Now you shouldn't be worryin' about that anymore." Auron said.

"Auron!" They heard Preacher call.

"Oh for dust-sake. What is it!?" Auron called back.

"Got a vehicle comin' up!"

"Can you tell who's in it!?"

"Yeah!" Raine called back. "There's a woman with red and gray hair in a red shirt, and a man wearing red and gold armor!"

Auron stopped what he was doing and bolted out of his seat and went to the front yard of the house. Jace and Alyss stood and followed.

After waiting a few minutes, the vehicle arrived and the two people stepped out of it. "Hello again, Auron. It has been a long time." Epirus said and bowed his head to the tall boy.

"Hey, how've you two been?" Auron asked them.

"We are… as well as we can be, considering the news of our daughter. How have you been, Auron?" Helena asked.

"As good as I can be with all this happenin'. It's good to see you again. What brings you out here all armored up?" Auron asked as he noticed the long sword on Epirus' belt.

"I always don my armor and sword when I travel outside the city," Epirus replied, "I have something to give to Jaune. Where is he?"

"I'll go find him." Alyss said and departed.

"Helena?" They heard Kathy call from the porch.

"Hello Katherine!" Helena called back as Kathy stepped off the porch.

"It's good to see you again." Kathy said and hugged Helena.

"You as well. How have you been?"

"I've been doing good. I've just been preparing dinner for everyone here."

"That is a lot of mouths to feed." Epirus said with a small grin.

"It is, but having two other cooks helps out a lot," Kathy smiled at him, "Do you want to sit on the porch for a bit, Helena?"

"Yes, please." She nodded and the two women went to the porch to sit and talk.

"I see you have a weapon with you this time, Jace. It looks rather impressive." Epirus said to Jace.

"Thank you. It's an Artillery Claymore, I've been working on putting it together for the past couple months." Jace answered with a smile.

"An… Artillery Claymore?"

"Yeah. It uses really large rounds." Jace took his new sword from his back and took out the magazine to show the size of them. "Auron had some scrap parts that he let me use to make it."

"That is interesting," Epirus said as Jace replaced the sword on his back.

"And Auron, I see you have new armor…" He said as he looked at the armguard.

"Made it when we went through that last year. I did somethin' else to it recently," Auron held his armguard up and sent his aura through his right arm. On the outside of the forearm was a long, thin box of metal. When the aura hit it, it expanded both upward and downwards into a bronze and red shield. It was the same size as Jaune's in width, but from top to bottom was a few inches longer on both ends and was rectangular. It had his father's emblem emblazoned on it in the red runes, which were lit up for the moment. When the glow died down, Epirus smiled sadly.

"Your father's emblem with her colors… a perfect tribute to the both of them."

"She was one o' my closest friends. I needed somethin' to honor her with," Auron said and retracted the shield, "I gotta thank Jaune for helpin' me out with it. He's been trainin' me a bit, too."

Epirus looked past Jace and Auron to see Alyss return with Jaune, Ruby, and Nora. "Hello again Ruby. Jaune." He greeted and bowed his head.

"Hello sir." They both greeted back.

Epirus stepped to his car and retrieved an item, then walked back. "Jaune. From what I understand, you were her first love, even though you did not know it," He handed the item forward to Jaune, "I made this for you. A chestplate almost like Pyrrha's own. Red with bronze trimmings. Her emblem is on the upper left breast of it."

"You… Y-you didn't have to do that, sir." Jaune said as he looked over the armor with his eyes welling with tears.

"I felt like I should. Perhaps if things were different, then… Never mind. Take this, please. If you will be her living legacy as you've said, then you have our blessing to do so."

Jaune finally took the armor and looked it over. It was surprisingly light, but he knew it would be strong. "Thank you. I promise I'll wear it in every fight for her."

Epirus nodded and wiped away a few stray tears that fell from his eyes. "I know you'll do well. I think we will take our leave now."

"Wait!" Nora said and stepped forward.

"Yes, what is it?"

"I-um… I'm one of Pyrrha's teammates too. I'm Nora Valkyrie."

"It is a pleasure to meet you Nora-" Epirus was cut short when Nora rushed forward and hugged him tightly.

"I'm so sorry! I'm sorry for what happened to her…" She said with tears in her eyes, "She was my friend and I wasn't there for her…"

Epirus smiled a bit and patted the shorter girl on the shoulder. "It's alright Nora. It's alright… you aren't at fault for this. You know who is. I can't blame you all."

Nora stepped back wiping tears from her eyes and nodded. "I'll make sure they pay for what they did."

Epirus nodded and turned to the porch. "Helena, are you ready to go?" He called to his wife.

"Yes dear! I enjoyed talking with you again Katherine. I hope we can talk more soon."

"It was good seeing you again Helena. Take care."

"You as well. Goodbye."

Epirus and Helena left in their car, with Helena driving, after Nora hugged her as well. Everyone waved to them as they left. Jaune looked at the armor in his hands and closed his eyes for a few moments. He breathed deeply and took it inside the house.

Everyone dispersed from the area shortly after. Alyss and Jace went to sit on the porch to relax while Auron continued on Jace's ammunition. Ruby went to join Preacher and Raine on the roof to help keep an eye on the area. Nora went to sit with Ren while he meditated, calmer than usual after meeting Pyrrha's parents.

"I think I could fall asleep right now." Jace said as he leaned his head against Alyss.

"Same here." She replied.

Jace took out his scroll and a pair of new earphones and turned his music on, then handed Alyss one of the buds. They sat there and listened to music until they fell asleep. Auron glanced at them from working on Jace's ammo and smiled.

* * *

"More Grimm… figures." Raine said and called Jace on his scroll.

"What is it, Raine? Jace asked.

"Grimm coming from the trees."

"Damn it. Group call with everyone." Jace said and got everyone to one call.

"We got Grimm again." He said to everyone.

"Shit, ain't they givin' thunderstorms?" Auron asked Preacher.

"Yep. Clouds are real dark up toward the city. Could mostly move past us, though." The retired Ranger answered.

"Just fuckin' great." Auron groaned.

Jace took his new sword from his back and held it ready. "Time to try you out against some monsters."

Everyone stood ready in different positions. Jace went to stand with Nora, Ren, and Auron a little ways from the house. Auron made sure his shield would still extend like it should and retracted it back quickly for when he needed it. Raine, Ruby, and Preacher all stayed on the roof to bring down as many as they can with their sniper rifles. Alyss and Jaune were back near the house to protect it if any got through. Jaune was wearing the armor that Epirus had made for him, it went well with the red sash around his waist and the white and bronze spaulder on his left shoulder. Jace gave _Twin Fang_ to Jaune to use in case he needed it and left _Carnage_ on the porch as well.

Nora was the first to meet the Grimm with her grenades. She launched three grenades at different points, causing smaller Grimm to blast apart in a pink and black mist.

"Hey kids. How 'bout a friendly competition?" Preacher asked the two girls next to him.

"Whatcha got in mind?" Ruby asked.

"See who gets the most."

"I'm in." Ruby agreed quickly.

"Same here. May the best sniper win." Raine said and they opened fire.

They took down nearly forty of the Grimm before they got to the others. Auron blasted their heads off as they got close enough to him. A Beowulf dove for him and he ducked under it. He shoved the barrel snug against its jaw and pulled the trigger, blasting it off and away from him. He reloaded and switched his rifle to its sword form and pulled out a revolver from his holster. He cut through them easily and shot any that he couldn't cut down.

Nora grinned and transformed _Magnhild_ to its warhammer form as charged into them, with Ren following behind to make sure nothing hit her from the back.

A Beowulf ran toward Jace and he cut it in half easily. He cut across at any Grimm in his vision and took them down quickly. A crash of thunder was heard over their heads as they fought through the Grimm. Jace let his eyes glance upward and saw a strange sight.

The moon was blood-red behind the clouds.

Jace looked back down quickly and blocked a strike from an Ursa. "Isn't this the year where the blood moon is gonna last a few months?" He asked everyone. He swung his sword and cut the Ursa's arm down the middle, then opened the tip of the sword. He swung sideways and fired off a round, using the recoil to spin himself and the blade in a wide circle, catching the Grimm that surrounded him and sending them flying away.

"I think so," Preacher answered, "It's been in the news a lot lately."

They fought for nearly an hour this time. Jace glanced around and saw the Grimms' numbers falling slowly and took a deep breath.

"Jace!" Raine called through the scroll and Jace turned around, only to see the body of a Faunus below him, clutching a dagger. Then he noticed the emblem displayed on his back.

Then he heard the gunfire and looked around.

"Hey!" Jace called through the scroll to everyone.

"The Lance are here!"

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: Someone check the clock, because it's time for a fight.**

 **We have everyone, besides Auron, meeting Pyrrha's parents, whose names I got from _A Thorny Tangled Triangle_ by Dongyrn. A great, fluffy piece of awesome. I'd say that they regained their composure a bit before Jace got back, that's why they seemed more calm about it. I also figured that Epirus would want to make Jaune something to give him a bit of a push every day. Seeing the armor that Pyrrha's own father had made for him would surely make him remember what he fights for.**

 **Jace finally made his own weapon. An Artillery Claymore. I honesty don't know where I got that idea from. It just popped in my head. And now we know what Auron was planning. A new magazine for _Last Call_ and a collapsible shield for his armguard.**

 **A word about the months in this story that I should've said a while ago. I have it going by our months, from 2015, 2016, and 2017. I had to go through the calendar on my iPod to make sure I have everything lined up right.**

 **See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	51. Chapter 50: Heroes of the Day

**Heroes Of The Day**

Jace blocked a sword swing as another crash of thunder shook the ground and lightning flashed across the sky. He brought his sword around and sent the Faunus flying into another two that were coming toward him. He smelled the scent of rainfall off in some direction. He had no way of knowing if it would fall over them or not though.

"You can't be scattered like that with the Lance! Get together!" Preacher yelled into his scroll at everyone.

"I got one clip left. I'm going down there." Ruby said and reloaded _Crescent Rose_.

"I'm about out too." Raine said and shot at a few more Crimson Lance soldiers.

"Damn bastards. They let us waste our ammo on the Grimm before they hit us. Gotta admit it's smart," Preacher mumbled, "I got it covered up here. Still got a good amount o' ammo for myself. Get down there an' help." He told them and they jumped from the roof.

Auron sent ten soldiers into the air with his semblance and met up with Jace. "Well hell, I get to fight some o' these terrorists again," Auron chuckled lowly, "Why the hell ain't the Grimm attackin' them?" He wondered and sliced at another soldier.

"There's no telling. Just focus on fight-" Another crash of thunder cut Jace off from finishing. He started feeling light drops of rain on his skin as he glanced up to the sky.

"And now it's raining… _great_."

"Just gotta hope it don't get worse." Auron said.

"You remember when I jinxed us in our initiation?" Jace asked the gunslinger.

"Yeah… Then you threw a bit of a fit when-" Auron paused when the rain started to fall heavier, "Son of a bitch!"

"Now you know how I feel."

"We're all gonna have to spend time takin' care of our weapons." Auron sighed.

"This is why I hate the rain!" Ruby said in a wail, "Not you, Raine. Rain-rain!"

"I know what you meant." Raine laughed.

Nora and Ren made it back to Auron and Jace and stood next to each other. Nora sent a soldier flying into a small group and grinned. "So these are some of the guys that attacked Vale?"

"It seems so, Nora." Ren answered her.

"This is gonna be fun. Time to break some legs!"

"Don't get reckless. This can be really bad if you let it." Jace said and blasted a soldier back with a shot from his sword.

"Made that thing just in time didn't ya?" Auron asked and brought up a wall of metal, then kicked it into the soldiers.

"I guess so."

An Alpha Beowulf jumped at them from the side. Jace brought his sword around to shoot it but it was already cut in half by Ruby. Her eyes were glowing silver.

"You know what, I was saved by an Angel," Jace remarked, "I'm not questioning why your eyes are glowing."

"Anyone got any ideas?" Ruby asked the group.

"Just fight." Auron replied simply.

" _Great_ plan…" Raine said through her scroll, sarcasm heavy in her voice as she deftly rolled out of the way of a hammer-wielder and a Boarbatusk. The Lance grunt went wide-eyed as he was bowled over and crushed by the Grimm. Raine turned and sent her sword deep into its eye, ending it before it could start another spin.

Auron huffed and blasted both barrels of his revolver into a diving Beowulf's face. "Hey, it's all I-"

Alyss laughed. "It's really the best plan, right? Just hit them really hard?"

"And I made my sword just for that!" Jace called out cheerfully and blasted half a magazine of the artillery rounds into the Grimm and Lance.

"Hey, you're sittin' easy on the porch while we're out here. Zip it, cat." Auron said to Alyss.

"Ooh, looks like I'm not the only one with claws." Alyss snickered.

"She's our adorable healer," Raine said, "She needs to save her aura in case we all need it while you distract them with your size."

"When the hell did my team turn into a bunch o' jokesters?" Auron asked in a hurt tone.

Jace gave a laugh just behind him. "It just means we care."

"And when did you guys suddenly get all cheery when you're fighting for your lives?" Jaune asked them all.

"Because fuck it!" Jace said with a loud laugh, "I don't think being all serious is gonna do us any better."

"Plus it can keep our spirits up." Raine said.

A load roar broke them from their focus and they looked for the source.

"Never-my-fucking-mind then!" Jace yelled and they dodged out of the way of the Armaddon just in time.

It crashed into multiple Lance soldiers and tore into them. It seemed that it wasn't under Cinder's control, if that was even the case. It opened its large mouth and let out a guttural roar as it sent blazing fire from its throat, burning through the Lance and Grimm that surrounded it. They scattered around, bumping into each other and multiple other Grimm catching them on fire as well.

It charged at them again and Auron stunned it with a pillar to its jaw. Nora came in quickly and smashed _Magnhild_ into the side of its head, breaking its horn off and sending it spinning halfway around. It roared and sent a torrent of fire around at everything around it again. Jace ran forward and cut in a downward arc at the Armaddon, closing its mouth and snuffing out its flame. After that, he spun and swung the blade in a pinwheel motion, cutting and pushing the Armaddon back and drawing trenches in the ground from the spins.

On the fifth hit, Jace moved in a bit more and pulled the trigger, blasting the blade down harder and catching the Grimm hard in the face. The heavy strike sliced into its bone and blinded two of its eyes. It charged and blasted Jace back with a powerful headbutt, sending him crashing into a few Beowulves that were focused on Nora. They turned toward Jace, giving the hammer-wielder the chance to send _Magnhild_ crashing into their sides, sending them back toward the Armaddon.

"Fair trade, four-eyes!" Nora yelled at the Armaddon.

Auron came over and helped Jace to his feet. "You good?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I've gotta be worth more than four Beowulves, though." Jace answered and reloaded his weapon.

"Yeah, maybe five." Auron grinned.

"Bite me."

"Later, sweetie." Alyss told him.

Before the Armaddon charged at the group again, three black tipped arrows pierced into the beast's head and front legs, then three light-blue tipped arrows slammed into its backside and froze it in place. The arrows at its front glowed and brought the Armaddon's head and front legs together.

"Thank Oum for Rangers." Jace breathed and moved in with Auron.

"You're welcome!" Raine and Preacher said simultaneously.

Jace grinned as he activated his semblance and stood ready. He brought his sword up and Auron sent a pilar into it to give it more force. Then Jace pulled the trigger and sent off a powerful round, giving his sword even greater power and sending the blade deep into the Armaddon's neck, killing it.

Jace and Auron quickly moved far away from it before its body caught fire and exploded, sending bone and stone in all directions, taking down multiple other Grimm and Crimson Lance soldiers.

"Just in time Raine!" Jace called to his partner.

Raine ran and stood next to them with an arrow sitting on her bowstring. "At least we can take care of those now. Until I run out of arrows, anyway."

"Let us just hope there are no more." Ren said.

"Yeah, I apparently have bad luck with these things showing up…" Jace said dryly, "Not a good thing."

"Yeah, sorry about your damn luck, Jace." Auron grinned.

"Ooh I'm gonna use that one of these days." Jace replied.

A large boar Faunus charged at them with a mace in his hands and brought it down hard toward Ruby. She stepped to the side and let the mace smash into the ground. The man brought it back up to attack again but Ruby was already swinging her scythe at him, striking him numerous times in the torso in a blur of motion as her eyes flared brightly. He fell over unconscious before long and a Beowulf lunged toward her. She quickly turned her focus toward it and sliced its head off with a quick swing of _Crescent Rose_.

"Hey Nora, you get more power from lightning and electricity right?" Jace asked the hammer-wielder.

"Yeah, why?" She asked back and crushed a Creep's head to the ground.

"Because I got enough of it to give." Jace answered and saw her grin widely.

She nodded and prepared herself. "Do it."

Jace sent a bolt of lightning from his palm and struck her in the torso. She immediately felt a surge of power from the electricity flowing through her as her semblance activated.

"Haha! This feels _soooo_ awesome!" She yelled and charged into the soldiers.

Nora was bashing soldiers and Grimm alike, crushing them with the weight of _Magnhild_. A Beowulf came up behind her and struck her, but she turned around quickly and grinned wickedly at it. Within a moment, her hammer came down hard onto its head and smashed it to the ground.

By the time she came back to the others, more than thirty soldiers were taken down, along with countless Grimm.

Another roar cut across the field and they could see fire from the opposite side of the soldiers.

"Another Armaddon? Damn…" Auron said and lifted his boot to a soldier's face, knocking him down. He followed that by striking him as hard as he could with his sword and ending him.

"You kids alright down there?" Preacher asked them.

"We-" Raine released her arrow into a Beowulf's chest and sent another toward an Ursa's eye. "We're good for now"

"Damn, they ain't stoppin'!" Auron yelled.

Most of the soldiers seemed distracted with the raging Armaddon that was tearing into their men and ignored the two teams. It took down nearly thirty men so far with its powerful charges, impaling them with its horn and crushing them under its weight.

"Well look at that. They kinda stopped." Jace quipped with a grin.

"Let's get to the house and regroup while they're distracted." Ruby suggested to them all.

They ran toward the house and heard a loud screech in the air. They turned and saw two Nevermore flying toward them.

"Where the hell'd they come from?" Auron asked and took aim. Then all of a sudden, one's head was sliced off. A few seconds later, the other one suffered the same fate.

"How did that happen?" Nora asked and they all looked in the sky, what they saw confused them.

A crow.

"This is gettin' weird now. A crow killed two Nevermore… What?" Auron said in confusion and tilted his head. He couldn't believe he put those words together in a sentence.

They heard another loud screech and looked to see that it came from three Griffons above the house.

"Preacher, look out!" Auron and Raine called to the old man.

"I know!" He called back and fired at them with _Bear Tooth_ , summoning another copy of it to push them back.

Jace took a deep breath and activated his semblance's wings, then prepared to fly.

"You sure you're good enough with that?" Raine asked him.

"As good as I could get. I'm about to find out." Jace replied and took off in the air toward the Griffons.

Jace still felt his aura drain, but it definitely wasn't as fast as before he practiced with his semblance. He got to the Griffons within a few moments of flying and readied his sword. He swung and pulled the trigger, sending the blade straight through the first one's neck.

After his vision was clear of the Grimm's corpse, he saw the same thing happen to another. He stared in confusion at the figure that came from behind it, and he gave a smirk to Jace.

"What the hell!?" Jace yelled at Qrow in disbelief.

They turned their attention to the last Griffon and went to attack it. Qrow kicked off the falling Grimm he killed and launched toward it. Jace flew toward it as well and they both hit it at the same time. Qrow sliced its head off and Jace cut it completely in half.

They both landed on the roof near Preacher and stared at each other, Jace's being confusion and Qrow's being amusement.

"Nice earring." Qrow remarked.

"An' where the hell'd you come from?" Preacher asked Qrow.

"Tell ya later. Let's just take care of this." Qrow said and jumped from the roof. Jace followed and they both landed in front of the porch.

"Uncle Qrow!? What are you doing here!?" Ruby yelled from where the others were arriving.

"Oh y'know. Just watching your backs." Qrow replied with a smirk.

She ran up to him and hugged him tightly. "It's good to see you again."

"It's a good thing you're here. We're all just initiates, and you're a full-fledged Hunter," Raine started and took a breath, "That might be what we need."

"Hey! What the hell am I then?" Preacher asked in mock hurt.

"Old." Auron answered.

"Shut up, Auron." Preacher said with a huff as he returned to shooting at the Grimm and the soldiers.

"Yeah. You kids are in a hell of a mess." Qrow said after a moment.

"You're damn right we are," Auron said and reloaded his weapons, "Now we just need a few Rangers."

"Speakin' o' that," Preacher started and gave a chuckle, "I got a call from Emowyn before whoever the hell _he_ is showed up. They're on their way."

"That's really good to hear." Alyss said and gripped _Soul Leaf_ a bit easier. Jace walked up to her and grace her a quick kiss before the fighting picked up again. She smiled and winked at him.

"Yeah, it is. I saw what the Rangers did back at Vale. We can do this!" Jaune said and rolled his shoulders.

"Well they better get here soon," Qrow said and brought his flask out, "'Cause that Armaddon went down."

Things were slow going from then on. The numbers of the Lance have dwindled drastically thanks to the Armaddon. The Grimm mostly slowed in their assault as well.

At least for the moment.

They fought easier now that they weren't completely overrun by the beasts. Everything went by even more smoothly with Qrow's arrival. He sliced through the Grimm with efficiency matched only by Ruby with _Crescent Rose_. It seemed the two were having some sort of competition between each other.

Jace and Auron stood back to back against the soldiers. With every swing he took at those on his side, Jace felt his memories surging in his head of how he and Genesis always fought back to back. He smiled and lifted his hand up to send multiple blasts of fire at the soldiers in front of him. Then he swung his sword, connecting with their guts and sending them all to the ground.

Auron mixed up his assault from his usual style. Instead of having a revolver in his right hand, he had it empty as he punched and threw the soldiers into others. He used his semblance and brought up a wall in front of those who tried to strike at him. He focused more aura into his right hand and arm and struck at the wall with his fist, sending it crashing through everyone on his side. A mace swing from his right prompted him to raise his right arm and extend his shield out. The mace struck the shield hard and Auron let it slide past him. He retracted the shield and stabbed _Last Call_ upward, striking the Faunus in the chest. He fell to the ground as Auron stood ready for more.

Raine sent arrows out accurately and brought down countless Grimm while easily sidestepping those that got close to her. She brought her arrows back and replaced them in her quiver, then drew her sword and knife. She stabbed through an Ursa's head with her knife and sliced straight into the chest of a Beowulf next to her. Every strike she blocked, she had the edge of the sword facing the direction of the attack. The Grimms' arms or paws caught the edge of the blade and they essentially cut their own limbs off, then Raine counterattacked and severed their heads.

Everyone heard an extremely loud crash of thunder that shook the ground and they fought on. "At least the rain hasn't picked up any worse." Alyss remarked through her scroll.

"Oh please no," Jace groaned, "You didn't just say that, did you?"

"Yeah… I probably jinxed us." Alyss replied.

"Yeah, we got that goin' for us until it does, though." Auron said before another crash of thunder sounded above them.

"If only it would stop thundering!" Jace yelled in annoyance, "My ears aren't used to it!"

"Jace! Why would you-" Alyss was cut off by a deafening crash of thunder, causing her ears to flatten out against her skull.

"Fuck it all!" Jace yelled as he regained his senses.

Another thing they heard was something large and mechanical from the direction of the forest.

"Spider Tanks!" Preacher called and took aim at one, "Three of 'em!"

"Dust, what the hell!?" Jace exclaimed and shook his head.

"Raine! Get up high an' launch some volatile arrows at 'em!" Auron called to his teammate.

"On it!" Raine didn't waste any time and went straight toward the apple tree. She jumped up in it quickly and brought out one of her volatile arrows. She judged the range of the closest one and rose her bow to compensate for the drop, then sent it flying. The pilot was so distracted with the Grimm that surrounded it and didn't notice the shining arrow coming for the tank. It struck the core and exploded the tank to bits, killing the Grimm around it in the blast.

Jace saw where the arrow struck and activated his semblance. He flew into the air a little ways and caught sight of the next. He prepared himself and dove straight for it. The pilot noticed him and pointed the tank's twin arm cannons at him and fired. Jace dodged one shell and sliced the other in half, both halves falling and killing a few Grimm in an explosion. He prepared his sword as he grew closer, keeping his focus on the core of it, and boosted himself forward with air dust. When he was mere feet from it, Jace swung the sword and fired off one of the powerful rounds. The sword struck and cleaved through its core, then both halves of the tank fell to the ground.

Jace looked to the other and grinned. "Raine, don't shoot this one!" He called to the apprentice.

"Any reason why?"

"I have an idea." Jace responded and ran toward the last one.

The pilot took notice of him and shot the tank's artillery rifles at him. He blocked them easily with his sword and boosted himself forward with bolt dust through his legs. It charged its shoulder cannons as Jace ran, but they didn't get charged fully when he arrived at it. Jace ducked under its legs and jumped on its back. He grabbed the handle of the hatch and ripped it open, revealing a terrified looking mouse-Faunus. Jace grabbed him and lifted him out of the tank with little effort, then tossed him in the air and cut him down with his sword.

"Who wants a tank?" Jace asked everyone.

Nora's face lightened with excitement at the question. "Me!" She said and ran toward Jace.

 _"Shoulda guessed."_ Jace thought to himself.

"That's your plan!? Giving Nora a tank!?" Jaune asked in disbelief as he and Alyss held back the Grimm that slipped by the others.

"You have anything better?" Jace questioned him.

"I!… No…" Jaune replied.

"It'll be alright Jaune! I'll be real careful!" Nora giggled in excitement.

Jace grabbed the Faunus' rifle from the tank and fired on the soldiers and Grimm for a few moments until Nora reached him.

"You a quick learner?" He asked as she hopped onto the tank.

"Good enough!" She replied excitedly and dropped down in it, tucking _Magnhild_ safely beside her.

"This is gonna help us." Jace said and jumped from the tank.

"Or destroy us…" Jaune groaned.

Nora immediately went for the first trigger she saw, which turned out to be its left arm cannon. The shell blasted from it and flew into the ground near the Grimm and knocked them over with the explosion.

"Ooohhhh… And what do you do?" Nora said and grabbed a larger handle and trigger.

On a small screen, she saw that it controlled the shoulder cannons. They charged quickly from being halfway charged before Jace emptied the tank. She aimed the cannons at the bulk of the Grimm and she let the beam fire. It tore into the mass of beasts and drew a long trench in the ground, and it killed more than fifty Grimm.

Jace flew back to the others and took a knee. He breathed deeply from the toll the wings took on his body. A soldier came at him but Auron grabbed the woman's arm and pulled her off balance. He started to spin around with her, dragging her and slamming her into a few more that came up toward Auron. He released her and threw her toward the Grimm.

"You good?" He asked his leader as he knelt beside of him.

"I need a minute… Damn, those wings take a lot." Jace replied and took another breath.

"Just be careful, Jace," Alyss said through the scroll, "How about you and me in the workshop tomorrow?"

Jace grinned widely at the thought and jumped back to his feet. "And there's my push!"

* * *

Another hour of fighting saw everyone loosing steam and taking more damage. Nora still kept at it with the tank, but it had to run out of ammo soon. More Grimm made it past them and charged for the house, but Jaune and Alyss put them down easily. Preacher ran out of rounds for his rifle and went down to the porch. He grabbed _Carnage_ when he arrived and stood ready with Jaune and Alyss.

Jace barely blocked a strike from a bear Faunus and was knocked back by his strength. He fell to a knee and pulled out _Ebon_ , then blasted the rounds into the man's chest. He fell over and Jace stood back up, then was knocked forward by a Beowulf. Auron stepped between the two and blasted his revolvers into its chest.

"Thanks, Auron." Jace said and recovered.

"This just ain't stoppin'. It's slow now, but they won't stop." Auron said and shot at more Grimm.

"I swear to Oum I'm gonna take it slow when I'm with Alyss…" Jace muttered under his breath.

"What was that, dear?" Alyss asked innocently.

"You'll find out sometime, kitten." Jace answered.

A loud roar caused them all to groan. They looked around and saw another Armaddon crashing through the soldiers. Jace shook his head and prepared to go toward it, but a few things caught his eye. He saw two light-blue tipped arrows pierce the Armaddon's hide and freeze it in place, and two black-tipped arrows hit its neck and the ground in front of it. Its head was pulled to the ground and it stuck there.

The next thing he saw was multiple Grimm go down with icy bullets that pierced their chests.

"Oh thank Oum." Jace said and hurried toward the beast.

Another thing caught his eye as he saw a figure in a white overcoat jump in the air with a huge sword. After a few moments of rising through the air, he fell back toward the ground and held his sword high, then it came crashing down into the Armaddon's neck. It didn't go all the way through, but a red-haired figure jumped in high in the air and his feet crashed down onto the blade, pushing it the rest of the way. They quickly retreated and the Armaddon exploded, sending nearby soldiers and Grimm to the ground.

An Ursa came up from behind Ren, ready to strike, but a trident through its skull stopped it in it's tracks.

"I think we got our backup." Jace said to everyone and sighed in relief.

"Ya think?" Auron said. He was staring in a bit of awe as he saw Sun swinging his gunchucks wildly, blasting off rounds in all directions and taking down a large amount of Grimm.

A roar from behind Jace drew his attention. He turned as brought his blade up to block the attack and was sent backwards from an Alpha Beowulf. He fell out of balance and fell to the wet ground as it crept up to him. As it came at him, a figure jumped in front of it and sliced at its face with his four-foot long katana. He held it with both hands at shoulder level with the blade pointed at the Beowulf as flames lightly flickered from the dark-gray blade.

It was Alex.

He wore his normal outfit but his boots were different. They were dark-brown and both had metal on the backs of them that looked like it could separate from his boots to clamp down on something. Alex dashed forward and sliced at the Beowulf numerous times as it backpedaled away from him. It swiped at him with its claw and he cut its arm off at the elbow. He twisted around and brought his right leg up, then the metal opened up on his boot.

He stuck the hilt of the sword in the metal and it clamped down around it, holding it in place. He sent his blade across with a kick and sliced into its face once more, then he switched attacks. He bent his knee and kicked outward, stabbing into the Beowolf's skin. He started moving his leg like a piston, kicking over and over at the Beowulf and any other Grimm that came close to them. The lesser ones died with stab wounds in their chests and skulls. Alex lept forward off his left foot and kicked upwards with his sword, making the Grimm's head point into the air. Then he switched direction and kicked hard across, slicing the Beowolf's head off. He grabbed his blade from his boot and went to help Jace up.

"Alex! Where did you pull that sword from?" Jace asked as he took Alex's hand.

Alex pulled him to his feet and grinned. "Where'd you pull _yours_ from?" He asked in return.

"I'll tell you later," Jace said and blasted his weapon's rounds at the Grimm, "Why are you here?"

"Connor wanted me to check up on you guys. You've been gone awhile. I caught a ride with the Rangers and SSSN about halfway here." Alex replied and sliced down the Grimm that came from behind Jace.

"Well thanks. I haven't seen a fighting style like yours."

"It took a lot of practice," Alex replied and got a closer look at Jace. Specifically the right side of his head. "Nice earring." He remarked.

"That makes two." Jace said with a grin.

"Aw, my tank's outta ammo…" Nora said and hopped from the machine. She jumped into the air and launched herself back to the others with _Magnhild_.

"Auron! You look like you've fought through hell!" Erron called to the raven-haired gunslinger as he blasted his rifle's rounds into the Grimm and Lance.

"We have been! Good thing you're here!" Auron called back.

Sun and the others came up to them and stood ready. "Hey guys, miss us?" He asked them all.

"Thanks for showing up, guys." Ruby said when she ran over to them.

"And now it seems they are slowing in their assault!" Ren called through his scroll.

"Well, let's drive 'em back the rest of the way!" Auron called to everyone.

* * *

Another hour had passed and the fighting slowed to a grinding speed. The added help of Alex, the fresh team of Huntsmen-in-training, and two Rangers gave them the push they needed to keep the soldiers back.

All the Grimm were killed and the remaining soldiers ran back into the trees. Nora almost chased after them but Ren stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.

"Let us rest, Nora." He said to her and she reluctantly agreed.

They all grouped back up and walked toward the house. "I guess we should just get this out of the way," Jace said to everyone and put his hand on Alex's shoulder, "This is Alex. My brother."

"Hold the hell on… what?" Qrow asked and looked between the two.

"That was everyone else's reaction, too. We found out for sure a few months ago on Patch."

"Damn, you're full of surprises." Qrow remarked.

"Nice to meet you, Alex!" Ruby greeted first, "I'm Ruby Rose." Then all the others introduced themselves.

"Whoa… Didn't expect all of you to be friendly like that." Alex remarked and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Trust me, they'll be as friendly to you as they have for me." Jace said and grinned at him. They all continued toward the house to hopefully dry themselves off from the rain as one last crash of thunder seemed to signal the end of the assault, until they heard Alyss.

"Paladin!"

They all turned back around and had their weapons ready. Each person that had a ranged weapon fired their shots at it until they ran out of rounds in their magazines, but it still came at them. Auron started breathing deeply as he bared his teeth at the war machine. He started taking long steps toward it as his mind almost went blank.

He would not let the Crimson Lance hurt Preacher, Jace, Alyss, or his mother any more. He would not let them hurt any more of his friends. He would not let this Paladin destroy everything his father had built for his family. He would see the pilot burn in hell for trying.

"Auron! What the fuck are you doin'!?" Preacher called after the enraged teen that took off toward the Paladin.

"Auron! Wait!" Jace called as well, but Auron didn't listen.

He broke out into a full sprint after the machine. When he got within fifty feet, he sent his aura to the ground and sent himself flying into the air high above it. The pilot saw Auron coming and prepared to swing at him with the machine's fist.

"Oum damn it! There ain't no way he can block that!" Preacher yelled in worry. He tried to take off running, but his prosthetic wasn't used to that type of movement and buckled under him, leaving him on the wet ground. Erron and Emowyn kneeled by his side as they watched helplessly as Auron sailed into danger.

Auron flew toward the Paladin with _Last Call_ held behind him, ready to slice forward as his right hand was in front of him. The Paladin swung its huge, metal fist at Auron and he swung his blade forward with a near-primal, gravelly yell. If things were normal, the fist would've knocked Auron flying away with multiple broken bones by bringing his aura down past it's limit and possibly killing him. But it was a different outcome than what everyone expected. Especially Preacher, Erron, and Emowyn.

As the fist made contact with Auron, he vanished into black smoke.

When Auron's body reformed behind the Paladin, he stood in confusion at what happened, then he turned around and saw the war machine was still facing away from him. He would have to find out what happened later. He stepped forward and unleashed a barrage of recoil-powered strikes into the Paladin's exposed hydraulic tubes, severing them in one of its legs. It fell to one knee as it lost power in that leg.

As Auron moved around it, there was a raven-haired person standing in front of it. She wore a white overcoat over a tight-black crop top that fully showed her stomach with multiple straps over her chest as well, black pants covering her legs and black, thigh-high boots covering that. She stood defiantly in front of it as she drew her blade.

"Where the hell'd you spring from?" Auron asked in disbelief.

He didn't get an answer as the Paladin swung its fist at the person but she left behind an explosive afterimage. It exploded and stunned the Paladin, then Blake threw _Gambol Shroud_ and it wrapped around its arm. She ran around quickly using her afterimages to boost herself forward and wrapped its arms tight against its body as Auron stood by in shock.

Then someone came from the sky. She wore her outfit of a cream-colored top and black skirt, black sleeves connected by a strap across her collarbone, long and black stockings, and brown knee-high boots. Her long, golden hair was held back in a ponytail.

She came dawn hard with an explosive punch to the cockpit of the Paladin, causing a massive dent in the plating. Then she started punching over and over in blinding strikes until it crashed apart and exposed the pilot. Yang picked him up and tossed him in the air, then Auron sent himself flying towards him with his semblance. He sliced the man's gut and sent him flying. He landed on the ground next to Yang and took a deep breath as he stuck his fist out. The two fist bumped and grinned at each other.

Everyone walked toward them and stopped a few feet away. Jace and the other two of his team smiled at the arrivals and Jace took a deep breath. "It's good seeing you being yourself again, Yang." He remarked.

"It feels good too, I can tell ya that much," Yang replied and glanced at his ear, then she noticed Alyss', "Nice earrings."

"That makes three that's said that." Jace said with a grin.

The others looked in shock at Yang's arm. The last time they saw her, she only had one.

"Yang? B-Blake?" Ruby said in disbelief.

Yang turned around and grinned at them.

"Sup."

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: Did someone hear glass shattering? Because they came in like Stone Cold and opened a can of whoop-ass on that Paladin. They're the heroes of the day.**

 **I hope I did well in writing Alex's fighting style. I'm a huge fan of the game it's inspired by. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance.**

 **It was never my plan for Auron to one-shot a Paladin or take it on by himself. That's why it didn't happen that way. I believe some explaining is in order next chapter concerning a decent amount of information.**

 **Was it a good idea to give Nora a tank? Oh yes. Yes it was.**

 **See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	52. Chapter 51: How

**How**

"Look, before anything gets answered, we need to sit down," Yang said to everyone, "We've been walkin' a lot." Everyone agreed and walked to the porch as team JKDW and Preacher walked closely together.

"Auron… What in the hell did you do?" Preacher asked in disbelief, "That was Jeff's semblance you used. It don't make any damn sense."

"Trust me, I got no idea what the fuck happened," Auron answered and looked at his hands, "I just… got to thinkin'. I wasn't gonna let that thing tear down what you an' dad built or hurt anyone here. I don't know how I did it or why it happened."

"I… I might know an answer," Jace said and the two looked at him, "You know how dad and Gen's auras went to me and I have their eye colors? I'm thinking that maybe your dad's aura went to you and instead of eye color…"

"I got his semblance?" Auron finished, "That's… I don't know what to think about that…"

Preacher put a hand on his shoulder. "It don't matter how or why. What matters is that you got a bit o' your dad in ya. Maybe that's his way o' lookin' out for ya."

"That's something you'll have to practice with," Alyss said at Jace's side, "And we'll help you."

"It's what friends are supposed to do. We've all got your back with this." Raine added.

Auron smiled as he looked forward to the house. "Thanks. Oum, what's mom gonna say?"

Alex stepped up to Jace and gave a small grin. "At least you don't have _their_ eyes either. Gods I'm glad I don't." He said as he retracted his blade and sent it into the sheath on the underside of his wristguard. He detached the blade and hooked the hilt into his belt.

"So that's where you pulled your sword from. Pretty cool." Jace remarked and the younger teen grinned.

"Yep. It's got a dust chamber in the hilt that I can use to make the blade catch completely on fire or I can use whatever."

"I can recommend bolt dust," Jace said, "I figured out that it's pretty awesome. It gives your blade a really high frequency and it slices through things like butter."

"Sweet. I'll have to try it." Alex said.

"The hell is it with you Atlesians an' dust?" Auron asked them.

"Atlas home to the world's largest supplier of it. I'm making use of those assholes." Alex remarked.

"Not all of the Schnees are like that." Yang said almost absentmindedly as she clenched her fist.

"Hey, I know. Don't worry. Jace told me about everything about how you guys saved his life," Alex said, "Weiss isn't like her family, I know that much."

"You have no idea." Yang sighed.

Alex nodded and turned to Jace. "Now you have to tell me where that thing came from." He said and pointed to the greatsword on his back.

"I finished putting it together a few days ago. Took two months to put it together right." Jace answered.

"Big fucking sword." Alex remarked and shook his head.

"Yep. Name of the club."

"What?"

"Ask Sun."

The group stepped onto the porch and most of them stayed there. A few of them sat down in chairs and a few stood. Sun stayed while his team, Erron, Nora, and Ren went to patrol around the house. It was a few minutes until someone decided to speak about the most pressing matter.

"I-I… how?" Ruby stuttered as she looked between her sister and her teammate, "H-How is your arm back, Yang? And where… W-where were you?" She asked the last question to Blake on the verge of tears.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you Yang's arm, Ruby," Jace said and smiled a bit, "I kinda wanted it to be a surprise when you saw her again."

"That's uh… that's a hell of a surprise." Jaune remarked, still in shock.

"Oh yeah!" Yang said and stood. She quickly walked over and gave Alyss a strong hug.

"Thank you Alyss. Just… Thank you so much." She said and Alyss returned the hug.

"I'm glad it worked." She replied.

"What worked?" Sun asked.

"When we were at Patch, I worked on trying to heal her arm for thirty minutes a day and two weeks straight. Then, it happened." Alyss answered and sat back down.

"Oh, I forgot your semblance could possibly do that," Sun said, "It's been a long time since you helped with Jace's burns. I kinda figured Yang got a prosthetic like Jace's."

"Nope. _All_ real." Yang gave a laugh.

"You mean you got your semblance to evolve?" Qrow asked Alyss and cocked an eyebrow.

"I don't think it's an evolution of it. I think it just comes down to the time I spend on an injury. It put me to sleep for a month, but it worked."

"I think that's what gave me the push I needed. And… I know about what that scientist said, Qrow." Yang said and got her uncle's full attention.

"Really? Didn't I ask you not to tell her?" He directed the question at Jace.

"Well…" Jace started and looked down, "We started yelling at each other and I said that if it didn't happen to us, it would've happened to them."

"I'm the one that told her." Alyss admitted.

"I had a bad relapse. It's part of what pulled me back together." Yang said.

Qrow sighed and took a drink from his ever-present flask. "Well, I guess we should tell Ruby and Blake, then."

"Yang already told me when she found me," Blake said and shook herself, "It's a disturbing thought."

There was an uncomfortable silence as Jace and the others that knew remembered the details. Every second that passed, Ruby grew more curious and agitated at not knowing anything about what they were talking about.

After a few more moments, it was Jace that broke the silence. "The short version is that we were kidnapped to keep your team from being kidnapped." He told Ruby.

Ruby's head tilted in confusion. "Huh?"

Jace sighed and took a breath, but Yang spoke first. "He means that the scientist guy would've tried to take us but he found Jace and Genesis instead. He chose them over us."

Ruby went wide-eyed and looked between Jace, Qrow, and Yang. "I-I don't know what to say…"

"At least he can't do it anymore." Jace said.

"So, where were you at anyways, Blake?" Alyss asked her fellow cat Faunus.

"Why did you leave?" Ruby asked her, looking right into her amber eyes.

Blake hesitated and looked to the ground in shame. "I was scared… I didn't want my friends to get hurt any more because of me. Especially… Especially you, Ruby."

"Blake, y-you know we can deal with it together, though." Ruby said in a hurt voice.

Blake flinched at the tone of her voice. "I just… ran, I know. I broke that promise and I-I'm so sorry… I won't blame you if you hate me now…" She said quietly, now on the verge of tears herself.

"No, I don't hate you. Y-you did what you thought you had to to protect everyone… I _can't_ hate you for that." Ruby assured her and they went into another silence.

"Blake, where… where exactly were you?" Alyss asked again after a few moments.

"I went back to our dorm… for something familiar and just remotely warm after the invasion… I decided to stay there. After awhile, I saw the White Fang in the city. I stayed for months trying to find out where they were operating out of. I… I almost died of starvation."

"What has you so interested in the Fang anyway?" Qrow asked her.

Blake hesitated and looked to the ground again. Yang and Ruby looked to each other with worried glances.

Ruby looked to Blake and their gazes met. Ruby mouthed the words "It's your choice."

She nodded and looked through everyone. "I…" Blake took a deep breath and exhaled, "I guess I should just get this out in the open now and stop running from _that_ , too," She took her bow from her head, revealing her cat ears, "I… used to be with them."

That sent the group into another uncomfortable silence.

"You were a part of the White Fang?" Jaune asked to make sure he heard right.

"Yes."

"I'm gonna need you to be real clear on this," Preacher started and clenched his shaking fists, "You _used_ to be with a bunch o' terrorists that cause havoc an' hell all across all the kingdoms?"

"Yes, I used to be with them. But after they turned into what they are now, I couldn't take it anymore and I left."

"An' you think just because you _left_ it makes everything alright that you're here?" Preacher said with a harsh edge to his words.

"Preacher, hold the hell on an' calm down." Auron said to the old man.

"I ain't gonna calm down… I'm as calm as I'm gettin' around her for now. How can you be so calm after what happened to Smoke?"

"Preacher…" Auron gritted his teeth and glared at the old man, "As far as I'm concerned… it was only the Crimson Lance that caused that. I don't give a damn about the Fang, the Lance are who did that to you an' dad. It's a separate branch, remember?"

"It don't matter if it's another branch or not, boy!" Preacher snapped and glared back at Auron, " The Fang sprouted the Lance! As far as _I'm_ concerned, she'd be on the same fuckin' level! Don't you remember who attacked Vale or what happened to Pyr-!"

"Don't you fuckin' dare blame her for what happened to Pyrrha!" Auron shouted back at him, "An' just because she was in the Fang don't mean you can blame her for dad bein' killed! Cinder was the one that killed Pyrrha! An' we both know who killed dad! It wasn't Blake, it was Hawk… She had nothin' to do with dad or Vale or Pyrrha. An' you can't blame her for what happened to Charity… You don't get to fuckin' blame her for any of it."

"Auron…" Preacher growled and clenched his fists, "You're crossin' a damn thin line talkin' about her…"

"An' you're crossin' one talkin' about Pyrrha."

"You listen to me, boy… I'm not gonna fuckin' take you bringin' Charity into this… You didn't see what the Fang did to her… I'd rather her get what happened to Pyrrha. It seemed quick from what I know. Charity didn't get _quick_."

"Don't you fucking speak like that about Pyrrha…" Jaune started lowly and stood from his seat, "You don't know what happened to _her_. She was shot in the heart with an arrow… She… S-she was gasping for breath and suffering… It wasn't _quick_ … None of this is Blake's damn fault!"

"Don't you fuckin' start with me," Preacher narrowed his eyes at him, "Just because she got all friendly with you don't mean she's outta the Fang!"

"You think I'd still be a part of them after what they've done!?" Blake yelled back at Preacher, "All I wanted was equality and peace. Their new leader turned them into what's here today. The man that _was_ my friend used to think that way too… But he slowly became corrupted by the injustices caused by humans. I tried to put them in the past, but _he_ won't stop until all I know and love is dead." She had tears in her eyes as she glared at the old man.

"An' how am I supposed to know you won't run back to 'em?" Preacher questioned her.

Blake pointed to her stomach, specifically to a scar there. "He stabbed me… and he cut Yang's arm off. He destroyed my home and he hurt my friends. I'll never forgive him. I'll _never_ go back."

"Hey Preacher, come in here with me," Auron's mother said suddenly and everyone looked to the door, "You need to calm down and try to understand her."

"You're sidin' with her too?" Preacher asked in disbelief.

"Well if you don't _remember_ , Preacher," Kathy's voice had a sharp edge to it that Preacher or Auron hadn't heard before and it made them both shiver, "She helped bring down the Paladin that could've destroyed the house and could've possibly killed us all. I trust her for that."

Preacher reluctantly stood and walked past Kathy, but not before casting a glare back at Blake, Auron, and Jaune.

"Thank you both for helping. It's nice to meet you." Kathy said to Blake and Yang.

"You too." They both replied and Kathy walked back in the house.

Blake took a deep breath and looked through all that were there. Team JKDW, Alex, Ruby, Yang, Qrow, Sun, Jaune, and Emowyn.

"So, what do the rest of you think?" She asked and prepared herself for the worst.

"I'm old enough to where I honestly don't care about someone's past," Qrow said, "It's the present that matters to me."

Jaune rubbed the back of his neck. "Blake, nothing's gonna change the fact that your one of my friends. Sure, it's weird to me that you were with them," He looked up and gave her a smile, "But you're just you. Nothing's changing that either."

"I mean, if you left when they went bad, then…" Alex started and shrugged nervously, "I can't judge you for it. It's not my place to judge anyone. It might not mean much coming from someone you just met, but I'm fine with it."

"It actually means more than you think," Blake said to him, "You don't even know me and you think that way about me and my past. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Alex said with a smile, then he turned to Jace, "I want to talk to you sometime after this."

"Sure." Jace replied simply.

Auron let out a loud breath of air and looked to Blake after he calmed himself down. "I don't care. I meant what I said, you can't be blamed for anything that happened," He nodded to her, "You helped with the Lance here, even if it was only takin' down one thing. I agree with mom."

"And just because you were with them doesn't change who you are," Alyss said with a smile, "You're an extremely nice person and you're loyal to your friends. Being with the Fang doesn't change that."

"You have my support, too," Raine said, "The Fang were able to really hurt my best friend's right arm a couple years ago. She can still use it fine but the scars are horrible… I _hate_ the Fang for that… But that's not your fault. Not her arm, not Vale or anything. None of it's your fault."

"Deserters of the White Fang are usually executed now," Emowyn started and shook her head, "The fact that he didn't outright kill you is confusing."

"He told me he would make it his mission to destroy everything I love. He wants to see me suffer for leaving him." Blake told her.

"Who exactly is ' _him_ ' anyway?" Raine calmly asked her.

Blake took a long, deep breath to steady herself. "Adam Taurus. He was my mentor… He was my best friend… He was an officer, then he was made the Valesian branch leader and he just slowly turned into the evil man you know him as… He wasn't always like that…"

"Did you girls know about this?" Qrow asked his nieces.

"Yeah, Weiss knows too." Ruby said and put a hand on Blake's shoulder.

"Same with me." Sun said quietly.

"So does Jace." Blake said.

"How long have you known?" Qrow asked Jace.

"Grigori told me when he said he planned on taking team RWBY. I promised I'd keep her secret." Jace replied.

"And I appreciate it, for as long as you have. Same with you three." Blake nodded toward Jace, the two members of her team, and Sun.

"H-hey Auron," Alyss said and looked over to her partner, "Who is Charity?"

Auron sighed. "She was Preacher's… She was his girlfriend a few years ago…"

"Why was he lookin' for a girlfriend at his age?" Yang asked quietly.

"They were both going through difficult times," Emowyn said, "Charity was almost fifty. She had just lost her daughters in an accident and Preacher lost his closest friend in the Rangers. There wasn't anything intimate. They took comfort in each other and they were able to talk through their grief. We couldn't get through to Preacher, but Charity did because she knew what he felt… worse than what he felt."

"What happened?" Jace asked her.

"Preacher was trailing a group of White Fang soldiers that were up to something near Shion… where Charity lived. They found out he was spending so much time with her and they took her. They tortured her and were somehow able to send videos of it straight to Preacher… Then they killed her…"

"Oh my Oum…" Blake said in disgust.

"What happened to the Fang?" Jaune asked her this time.

"They thought it would break his will… Make him quit trailing them and just give up the will to live. They were _so_ wrong…" Emowyn sighed as her eyes watered from telling the story, "He tracked them down and he killed them all. They had no chance against him. Not even their senses helped them. He picked them off one by one, he put fear into their hearts and slowly worked his way toward the leader of the group. He killed the man by choking him to death. He was able to give her a burial but… it had to be closed casket."

"We all hated seein' him like that after it… he seemed so broken," Auron said with a sigh, "Charity was one o' the sweetest people you'd ever know… wouldn't hurt a fly. She didn't deserve what she got. It still hurts 'im… He never had anyone like that an' she got taken away from 'im. He drank a lot after it. I knew he was lyin' about not touchin' whiskey since he was a teen. I just knew it by how he looked all the time after that."

"And how'd he get better?" Alyss asked.

"He tried to put it behind him," Emowyn said, "He started to accept it and he kept himself from any sort of relationship since then. He hasn't fully worked through it though. He never wants to talk about it. He doesn't want to remember how she died. You all saw what happens if someone mentions her name around him."

"That doesn't give him the right to talk about Pyrrha like that…" Ruby said with tears in her eyes, "We might not have saw what happened to Charity, but he didn't see what happened to Pyrrha. He doesn't know how horrible that was."

"The only reason I know what happened to Pyrrha was because it was best for Ruby to tell me…" Jaune said silently, "I didn't need any fake reports of it… I needed the truth and it was horrifying."

"Jaune… Promise me somethin'…" Auron told the blonde teen and faced him, "Never let yourself get like that about Pyrrha. No matter what."

Jaune nodded. "I promise… She wouldn't want that…"

"No, she wouldn't." Auron sighed.

"Preacher should know that Charity wouldn't want him to be like that, right?" Alyss asked quietly. Jace was rubbing her shoulder, trying to keep her from shedding tears.

"He probably knows, but he can't help it. He just hardly can take it…" Emowyn said.

"Aw hell…" Auron said and put his head in his hands, "I say we should all just dry ourselves off an' get some sleep."

"Yeah, that'd be nice after all this." Yang said and stretched her limbs.

"Actually, I want to talk to Blake for a few minutes." Ruby said and looked at her teammate.

"S-sure, Ruby. Good thing the rain stopped." Blake agreed and they went off the porch to talk while the others went inside.

Jace, Alyss, and Alex stayed on the porch. "What did you wanna talk about?" Jace asked Alex.

"It's about my name…"

"Oh…" That was all Jace could say.

"I think I know what he's getting at." Alyss said quietly.

"I… I don't want to share the name of those abusive pieces of shit anymore… I don't know if I have any right to ask this because you were raised by them… but…"

"You wanna know if you can use our last name?" Jace asked lowly as a small smile crept to his lips.

"Y-yeah… I know I don't know your family. I know they would have no idea who I am. But you're the only member of my family that's even accepted me-"

"I'd be glad to have you as a part of our family." Jace cut him off with a full smile.

"Whoa, wait. You already decided that?"

"Yep. I know how you feel with wanting to change your name. I went through the same thing and Alyss was there to hear it. You deserve to not be associated with them in name anymore. If you really want it, then you can have Reznor be your last name too." Alyss smiled and moved to kiss Jace on the lips, showing how proud she was for his decision.

Alex let out a nervous laugh. "Man, I really didn't expect an answer so fast. I… I guess I'm Alex Reznor now?" He said with a smile at how it sounded to not say their birth parents' name with his. "Thanks, Jace."

"Don't mention it," Jace said to him, "I'm sure dad and Gen would've accepted you too. Welcome to the family."

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: Yep, Auron's got two semblances now. He'll really need to understand that somehow.**

 **Blake finally got it off her chest on how she was with the Fang. Given the fact that she drove herself half to death trying to find them, I think she needed to. Even if Preacher blamed her for Charity.**

 **See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	53. Chapter 52: Why

**AN: A bit of spoilers from Volume 4. From Two Steps Forward, Two Steps Back. Nothing major, just a bit about the talk Yang and Tai have.**

 **Also, I just remembered that I was supposed to post every other Saturday. Hopefully I can get back on track.**

 **XxXxX**

 **Why**

"How've you been since we left Patch?" Jace asked Yang as they sat on the porch the following morning with Alyss, Alex, Ruby, and Blake, who kept her ears free of her bow and with Ruby lightly holding her hand.

"I thought over what you both said for a few more days. Then, I started getting up and out more, helpin' dad around the house a lot more than what I did before the relapse," Yang looked at her right arm as if she were still in awe, "It took a bit, but I started training harder. Like actually sparring with dad. I got back in shape and got used to fighting again with dad's help. That… He helped me out so much with how I fight."

"How so?" Alyss asked.

"He told me about my balance. Like my mindset of fighting," Yang explained, "In the tournament, I relied way too much on my semblance. And before that…" She shook her head and let out a laugh, "I always wanted to just punch my problems right in the face, y'know? When I lost my arm, that was a real eye opener. I felt vulnerable for the first time since a was a kid when I almost got me and Ruby killed. I can't rely on my semblance all the time, I know that now."

"It was strange when we were fighting a few White Fang soldiers making our way out of Vale," Blake said, "Seeing her actually dodging more instead of blocking full attacks, just all of the motions she made were new."

"Dad said I just needed to find the right temperature," Yang continued, "Being too aggressive took my arm and just put me down. I'm gonna stay careful and try to keep a cool head. I'm gonna try to use my semblance when I _need_ to instead of when I _want_ to. If I can help it, I'm not gonna lose anything again."

"Wow… So I guess losing your arm was kind of a good thing? Is that alright to say?" Alex said in confusion.

"Oh yeah, you're good to say that," Yang assured him, "I'm not gonna lie, I think it really was," She admitted with a small grin, "Dad was already tryin' to get me a prosthetic so I would've learned that later, but Alyss just made it quicker and a hell of a lot better."

Alyss gave a warm smile. "I'm glad things worked out for the best."

"Same here, definitely." Yang said.

"That kinda reminds me of how I trained with Gen for a year," Jace said and gave a grin, "I always had a problem with dodging when I first started training to be a Hunter. I always tried to just take a few hits to give one huge hit. Gen noticed that and he explained it to me."

"Did it help?" Yang asked.

"Hell no," Jace laughed, "At random times throughout a day he'd just yell _DODGE_ and punched me in the face. That yell always caught me off guard and surprised me and I couldn't do anything."

"What did your dad do?" Alex asked him with a look of humor in his eyes.

"Nothing. He encouraged it to hopefully get me out of not dodging when I needed to. It didn't matter when either. It could've been when we were playing a video game or eating dinner or watching a show on the vid-caster. It took a few months for me to actually be able to react to it and do something. Then after a year I was dodging a lot more when we trained. I really miss those days." Jace finished with a wistful smile.

"Would it help if we yelled dodge and tried to punch you in the face?" Alyss asked with a smile.

"Please don't." Jace laughed and gave her a kiss.

Alex turned to Yang to bring the conversation back to where it was. "What happened after you finished training?"

"After I got back on my feet, I set out to find Blake. For Ruby." She smiled toward her sister and partner.

"Thanks, Yang. I won't forget that you saved my life." Blake said back to her.

"And your semblance let you actually heal a forearm and hand back fully?" Alex asked Alyss.

"Yeah, it does. And like I said, it put me to sleep for a month." Alyss replied.

"That's one hell of a semblance." Alex said in amazement.

"It's what everyone says." Jace said and kissed his girlfriend on the cheek. Alyss smiled and purred a small bit.

"And what you two and Auron did to that Paladin was fucking awesome!" Alex continued, directing the praise at Yang and Blake, "I never thought three people could stand up to a Paladin like that."

Yang grinned at him. "You should've seen our full team take one down. I got punched straight through a highway pillar."

"Ohhhh you'll have to tell me sometime." Alex said to her.

"I think you just made a fast friend." Jace remarked to Yang.

"Awesome. The more the merrier!" Alex replied.

Alyss smiled at the bonding the two brothers were doing, "What about you two?" She asked both Ruby and Blake, "How did you two find out you loved each other?"

"Well," Blake started as a light blush came across her face, "When I met her, she was really like no one I've ever met before. She's just so sweet, energetic, and caring. I always wanted to keep to myself, but I was just drawn to want to spend more time with her. When she asked if she could borrow a book to read, she suggested we could read them together and I just went with it. Saying yes to that was the best decision I've ever made. That's what I really loved about our time in Beacon."

"Me too, Blakey," Ruby said with a smile, "I really hated it whenever she got sad and down on herself. I always wanted to cheer her up when she got that way. I was really happy when we started to hang out more and read books together, it was really awesome and I started feeling things for her. When Beacon fell and she disappeared… I was scared I would never get to tell her how I felt," Ruby sighed and leaned into Blake's shoulder, much like Alyss did with Jace, "Thanks for finding her, Yang."

"No problem, Rubes," Yang said with a grin, "That was one reason I drove harder to find her too. I knew how much you two cared for each other."

"You're definitely something else, Yang." Blake said and matched the grin.

"Okay, I'm just gonna say this and shut up about it," Alex said and glanced at Ruby and Blake, "But you both honestly look freaking adorable together."

"Umm… thanks." Blake said and they both blushed.

"I gotta agree." Yang remarked.

"Same." Alyss and Jace said.

"We get it, guys… Thanks." Ruby smiled.

"And you got your other bracer back too. I'm sure that helped a lot with finding her." Jace said to Yang and smiled toward Ruby and Blake.

"How did you even know where to find her?" Ruby asked and looked at Yang curiously.

"I didn't, really," Yang said and grinned more, "I just went back to Vale and went to Junior's, and he told me that the White Fang were looking for a deserter in the city. Last seen at Beacon. A cat Faunus with jet-black hair and a scar on her stomach. Then I went and looked."

"Junior's? His place is still standing?" Jace asked in shock.

Yang laughed and nodded. "Yeah, that place was built up like a fortress when the invasion first started. His guards all had machine guns and were just on watch all the time."

"That actually might be a good thing for us." Jace said and thought on it.

"What? Like for drinks? Yeah, it would be." Yang replied.

"I could go for a drink." Alex remarked with a grin.

"Me too. I don't get drunk, y'know." Jace said.

Alex looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Oh really?"

"Oh no, he really doesn't," Yang said, "He drank a whole bottle of vodka and wasn't even buzzed."

Alex went wide-eyed as he looked back at Jace. "Grimmshit."

"It's true," Alyss said, "A whole bottle. He was completely fine. Drove straight as a line on they way back to Beacon."

"I'll prove it to you sometime," Jace grinned, "Let's get back on track. I was thinking that maybe we could use Junior's as a base or something. We _will_ take back Vale and Beacon, and we'll need some place to plan unless the Rangers and Hunters have a place already."

"That actually sounds like a good idea for that place." Blake agreed.

"I hear somethin' about Junior's?" Auron asked as he walked up on the porch.

"Yeah, it would be a good base for taking back Vale. Yang says it's fortified." Alyss answered him.

"Man, I'll need another drink after all this." Auron said and sat down.

"I think it's pretty cool what you did with your armor there." Yang remarked towards Auron.

"Thanks. It's somethin' I wanted to do for awhile after Beacon. But with watchin' Jace when he was in a coma, I never had the time before." Auron replied and brought the armguard up, extending the shield and showing the glowing emblem, and retracting it.

"Yang told me you were in a coma. That must've been hard." Blake remarked toward Jace.

"Yeah, it was," Jace agreed and Alyss pulled herself closer to him, "When I woke up, I didn't have my prosthetic. That confused me, but Alyss told me that Dr. Seabolte came by and got it for the enhancement. I waited until I could actually talk before I asked what all happened. It was just… too much to take in."

"Yeah, that's definitely understandable." Blake said and they grew silent for a few moments.

"Y'know, I told Preacher that they'd be no one stupid enough to go near that Dragon." Auron said to Blake and Yang.

"I didn't care… Like I said, I went there for something familiar." Blake replied.

"I still can't believe that there's a damn Dragon. A real fucking Dragon." Alex said.

"I don't think anyone can." Jace remarked.

"Jace, me an' you gotta get our weapons back." Auron said to his leader.

"Wait, where _is_ your sword?" Blake asked Jace.

"Stuck to the ground at the base of the tower." Jace replied.

"He fell from the top." Ruby explained.

"You fell from the top of Beacon Tower!?" Alex asked in disbelief.

"And you survived? How did you get up there in the first place?" Blake asked Jace and he stood up.

Jace activated his semblance and let the wings sprout from his back. "This." He replied and quickly deactivated it.

"Holy shit!" Alex exclaimed.

"Hey," Auron said to him in a hushed tone, "Keep it down with that shit. Mom hates cussin' an' she'll smack the hell outta you."

"Sorry." Alex said.

"How did that happen?" Blake asked in shock.

Jace merely shrugged and sat back down. "Either my semblance evolving or it reacted to the Faunus DNA in me. I'm pretty sure it's my semblance, though."

"And how did you survive the fall?" Blake asked.

"See my right eye?" Jace asked and leaned forward.

Blake leaned forward as well and looked at his eye. "Green? And your other one is still blue?"

"This is actually the first time I've noticed it too." Yang said and tilted her head.

"How did that happen?" Blake asked in confusion.

" _Standoff_ stabbed into my side and some of Gen's aura went to me. It made _Standoff_ completely stick to the ground too," Jace explained and unconsciously held his side, "My eye changes to blue too, just like his did."

"Oh Gods… that sounds horrible." Blake said silently.

"Damn, you're as resilient as a Goliath." Alex remarked.

"Have you decided on a name for your sword yet?" Alyss asked him and drew the conversation from that horrible moment.

"Yeah I have," Jace said and picked it up from where it leaned against the railing, easily hefting it with one hand, "I decided on _Legacy_."

" _Legacy_?" Blake asked.

"Yeah. Because like I keep saying, I'm the living legacy of my family," Jace held the sword in his hands and ran his fingers along the length of it.

"It always bothered me how I never made a weapon for myself before," He leaned _Legacy_ back against the railing, "Now I did, and it bothers me even more that I don't have _Standoff_."

"Just gotta take it one step at a time." Auron said and sighed.

"Soooo… What made you both decide to pierce your ears?" Yang asked Jace and Alyss.

"The curse of Mistral." Auron remarked with a laugh.

"No, there was no curse involved," Alyss assured them and grinned, "I've wanted to do it for a long time but I was so nervous and scared it would be really painful for my ear."

"I decided to do it to make her more comfortable about it. It stung me," Jace said, "She got the easy way."

"How was it easier for her? Our ears are more sensitive." Blake said in confusion.

"The woman that did it had some liquid that numbed it for me. Only for Faunus. It felt weird but it really didn't hurt." Alyss said. She reached her hand up and touched the small pendant on the ring and smiled.

"We picked each others' out. I let her pick mine to get her into it a bit more and she let me pick hers to be fair." Jace said and reached up to scritch between her ears for a few seconds.

Alyss purred and leaned deeper into his shoulder. "I chose emerald for him since that was Genesis' aura color."

"And I chose the ruby and sapphire for our aura color. And the cat pendant because she's an adorable kitty cat." Jace added.

" _Your_ adorable kitty cat." Alyss corrected happily.

"Right." Jace smiled.

"It looks good on you guys. It fits too." Yang said.

"Thanks." They both replied.

"Hey Blake," Ruby said and got her new girlfriend's attention, "Umm, sometime, if it's okay with you, can I… rub your ears?" She asked and Blake looked at her quickly, "Only if it's okay with you! I know how you feel about anyone touching them but it's just that they're so cute and they look really soft and I just really want to-"

"Ruby." Blake interrupted.

"Y-yeah?"

"Take a breath," She said and the the scythe-wielder complied, "It's something I never wanted anyone to do because I just felt that people would see me as an animal rather than a person."

"B-but Alyss lets-"

"We have different natures," Alyss interrupted this time, "I've always had more of a playful nature since I was a kid. It's how we were raised. And since Blake was in the Fang…"

"I never really had the chance to let it out," Blake continued, "It's just been locked up for me and Alyss' could always display it in the open when she wanted."

"Oh… Thanks for explaining it to me." Ruby said to them.

"But… after seeing Alyss being open about it and you guys being supportive of me… I might try to let it out a little bit at a time."

"Really?" Ruby asked excitedly.

Blake nodded and grabbed her hand. She moved it up to the top of her head nervously and took a deep breath. "I might as well start now…" She said and laid Ruby's hand in between her ears, "Just be gentle with them, please."

"A-are you sure?" Ruby asked in surprise.

Blake nodded her head as a blush spread across her face. Ruby gulped as she started to gently rub around Blake's ears. The raven-haired girl's breath hitched at the feeling and she closed her eyes and leaned into the touch. "This is alright… right?" Ruby asked. Blake nodded silently as she let out a deep breath.

After a minute of that, Blake had Ruby stop. "That's… That felt amazing." She admitted with a blush.

"Good. I hope you can let everything out soon." Ruby smiled as she held and rubbed Blake's hand.

"I'll try to. It just gonna be hard tear down every wall I built up to block it out."

"That's what Rubes is here for, now," Yang said with a grin, "She'll stick with you and help you."

"Exactly. I'm here to help." Ruby agreed and kissed Blake on the cheek.

"And just be sure to take it at your own pace," Alyss said, "It took a little bit before I told my team about my nature."

"You still ain't tried to pounce on us all since you told us." Auron grinned.

"That's because I'd rather do that when we're home." Alyss replied.

"Umm… What do you mean by _pounce_?" Ruby asked in confusion.

"Because of my nature and when I felt at home, I always liked to pounce on people I felt comfortable with," Alyss answered with a sad smile, "Right now… I don't really feel at home with having to fight almost constantly. I just… I want to take back Beacon so I can finally, _completely_ , be myself around the ones I love…"

Jace pulled her closer and hugged her tightly with one arm. Auron put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed softly. "Hey, maybe when things calm down an' the Grimm stop attackin' then hopefully you can think o' this place as another home. I know mom would be happy for it." He said with a smile.

"Yeah… Maybe when it calms down," Jace kissed her on the side of the head, "I want you to let it all out and be comfortable."

"Right… thanks guys," Alyss said to her teammates and turned back to Blake, "Yeah… Anyway, if it makes you happy then it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks."

At that moment, Kathy stepped outside. "Oh, did Auron tell you what I always told him?" She asked.

"He did," Alyss answered with a smile, "Good words to live by."

Kathy nodded and smiled. "It's probably the second best thing I've taught him."

"What's the best?" Alex asked.

Auron and his mother shared a grin. "Cooking." They both said at the same time and laughed.

"Speaking of that, I'm about to start on dinner." Kathy continued.

"Hey, is everyone rested up?" Sun asked as he stepped hurriedly onto the porch.

"Yeah, why?" Yang replied.

"We need to get back to the city. We have the biggest lead you're gonna get."

"Never mind then." Kathy said and leaned against the door frame.

"What is it?" Ruby asked Sun and stood up.

Sun hesitated as he looked between Jace and Yang.

"Emerald."

"You found her!?" Jace asked and stood up quickly, grabbing _Legacy_ and gripping it tightly.

Sun hesitated even more at seeing his attitude and seeing Yang's eyes turn crimson. "It's more like… she found the Rangers."

"Where is she?" Ruby asked.

"They took her to our hangout last night. Then we all came straight here.

"What? Did she just give herself up?" Yang asked and clenched her right fist.

Sun nodded nervously. "Apparently she didn't like what happened in Vale."

"Then let's go. Let's just be glad that Emowyn an' Erron brought a bigger truck for everyone else." Auron said and stood up.

Jace looked back to Kathy. "Do you have any ramen noodles?" He asked and she shook her head, "We'll pick some up on the way back. I can actually fix something with that. Can you get vegetables and stuff ready later?"

"I can. It'll be nice to rest for a day." She grinned and went back into the house.

Jace put his hand on Alex's shoulder and stopped him. "Hey, can you stay here and keep watch? Just in case something happens while we're gone." Jace requested.

Alex nodded. "Yeah. I can. I don't even know who the hell Emerald is, so yeah."

Yang and Sun were the last ones off the porch as the others walked toward the vehicles. "So, how do you feel about Ruby and Blake?" Yang asked him. She knew that he had feelings for his fellow Faunus and was curious to know how he took it.

"I'm happy for them," Sun said as he looked at their clasped hands, "I missed my chance to ask Blake. I can only blame myself."

"So you're not mad or anything?"

"No. Oum no. I'm glad they're happy with each other."

Yang patted him on the shoulder. "You'll find someone. Don't give up."

* * *

"Why?" Ruby asked Emerald.

She was sitting in the chair with her red eyes downcast, with her legs crossed at the knees, with her hands unbound and her fingers interlocked in her lap.

"I… I did what I thought was best for me to survive." Emerald answered quietly.

"And you helped cause the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people?" Emowyn asked.

Emerald simply nodded.

"Why did you even come here? You knew the risk of coming to us." Erron stated.

"I… it was just too much… just seeing everything happen right in front of me. All those defenseless people just being slaughtered… I couldn't take it anymore."

"But why come to us?" Ren asked her.

"Because I want… I want to try to make up for it."

"You want to make up for all the lives you ruined and the families you tore apart?" Jace asked in disbelief and stepped forward, "Why should I trust you when most of my family is gone because of you!?" He yelled the last part out.

She didn't meet his gaze and kept staring at the ground. "I can tell you where Cinder, Hawk, Adam, or anyone is."

"And you think that would just make us forgive and forget?" Jace felt his anger rising with each second of being near her.

"No… Gods no… I know I've done a lot, but it was so I could survive."

"And where are they?" Jaune asked before Jace or Yang or even the dangerously-silent Nora did something.

"Hawk is in some old base from the Great War here in Anima."

"The one south o' the city?" Auron asked.

She nodded her head and Auron sighed loudly. "Damn it. So close to us an' we didn't know it."

"How would we know any of this is even true? Your semblance is basically just lies." Yang remarked. Her eyes stayed red since she arrived and saw Emerald.

"Because I wouldn't be here otherwise." Emerald responded and looked up at them.

"And where is Adam." Blake stepped forward with the question.

"The industrial district of Vale. He's planning on spreading the White Fang everywhere in Vale to completely take it over." Emerald answered and Blake recoiled in shock.

"He wants control of a whole city!?" She asked in disbelief and Emerald nodded.

"What about Cinder?" Qrow asked.

"She should be maybe halfway to Vale now… She's going to try to unfreeze the Dragon."

"She's what!?" Qrow asked in a yell.

"How long would it take?" Emowyn asked her.

"Before I got away from her, she said it would take maybe three months, that was a few days ago before she left. I don't know how, but it has something to do with what her boss gave her. It's supposed to react to the blood-moon somehow, and it's supposed to show for a few months."

"We need to do something soon." Ruby said and frowned in frustration.

"Listen," Jace said and got everyones' attention, "All of you need to go to Atlas and get Weiss."

"No," Blake protested, "I'm going to Vale. I need to stop Adam before he gains a whole city for the Fang."

"And I'm headin' there with her," Yang said and put a hand on her shoulder as her eyes turned back to lilac, "I went through all the trouble to find her. I'm not letting her go it alone."

"We'll head to Atlas to get Weiss," Ruby said and looked through her temporary team, then smiled to Yang, "I'll pay you back for finding Blake."

Yang smiled and nodded. "Tell her I love her."

"The hell did I miss?" Qrow asked them.

"Long story. I'll tell you sometime." Yang answered with a grin.

Ruby smiled and turned to JKDW. "What are you guys gonna do?"

"Emowyn, how many Rangers are in Anima right now?" Raine asked her sister.

"Around five active members. That's me, Erron, Jax, Lyra, and April." Emowyn replied.

"I think we're gonna go after Hawk." Jace said and clenched his prosthetic fist.

"It'll keep him from coming after all of us in Vale." Alyss added.

"An' we got a whole lot o' shit to get off our chests with 'im." Auron said lowly

"Alright. We'll all get ready then. I'm gonna head to Vale too, see if I can find Glynda." Qrow said and walked from the building.

He was followed by everyone but Yang and Jace.

"I got half a mind to put your head through a wall." Yang said to Emerald. She nodded and held her head down, and Yang walked from the room.

"Why?" Jace said to Emerald.

"Why did you help Grigori?"

"Cinder said to go retrieve lien for her plans. I worked with Grigori for a while, tricking people and just letting it happen."

"And you did it without a second thought? Ruined all those families?"

"If I didn't… Cinder probably would've killed me."

"So it was just survival? You or them?" Emerald nodded, "Did you enjoy it?"

Emerald stayed silent and Jace could hear a sniffle come from her.

She looked up and had tears in her red eyes. "I had to learn to suppress my emotions when I worked for her. I-I felt nothing since she found me… All the things I did for her, I kept myself from feeling anything. I mean… there were a few times where I was _happy_ to see her, but that was only because she saved me. I don't want to feel nothing anymore. I don't want to hurt any more people like that…"

"Why exactly did you go with her? Besides just survival?"

"She found me a few months before the first semester started for the academies. She caught me stealing a ring and she took me in. Then we found Mercury, and then… after we made a deal with Adam… I had to do so much for her. I was glad for it at first… she got me off the streets. But then she had me do those things, killing people, doing that work for Grigori…"

"Off the streets…?" Jace echoed quietly.

Emerald nodded. "I lived on the streets my whole life. I had to steal and claw and scrape by with what little I took. No guarantee if I'll even eat one day, or even for a few days or a week. It was hell… I was glad to be taken in. But now…"

"I just want to be free from her."

Jace felt his voice catch in his throat at the words. Freedom, having to live on the streets, trying to survive. He knew the pain.

"You just wanted to be free?" Jace asked after a moment.

She nodded and looked up at him again.

"I know what it feels like to be homeless like that… never knowing what'll happen the next day or wondering if I could even make it. I was adopted, dad found me on the street when I was eight years old. My parents just abandoned me."

"You were left alone like that too?"

"Yeah. Don't even know their names anymore. Do you?"

"No… I left those thoughts behind me."

"Same here… My brother's trying to do that too."

"If I would've known that… maybe I wouldn't have taken that job. I wouldn't have wanted to do that to a 'street rat' like me…" She said the word lightly.

"Definitely makes things different… doesn't it?" Jace asked and took a deep breath, "Y'know, I should be taking out every bit of my anger on you for what you did and what you caused. I guess with what you said, I just can't," He looked at his left arm and sighed, "If you're telling the truth, then it's just like what's on my brother's headstone. ' _Never chained, but never free_.'"

"I've heard that before. That's a good song." Emerald said quietly.

"It is," Jace agreed with her on that, "I don't know what'll happen to you, but I just want you to know that I'll probably never be able to forgive you fully," Jace turned and walked toward the exit.

"And just remember… the price of freedom is steep."

And with that, Jace left her alone.

* * *

Jace sat on the porch of Auron's house for a long while that night after they ate the food he fixed. He sat and thought to himself while everyone else prepared to leave. Everyone stayed around, prepared to defend against the Grimm even more but none came.

Jace was still surprised with himself at how he handled being in the same room as Emerald. Every time her name was mentioned before, he always said he would get revenge and make her pay for what she caused. But after hearing what she said, he just couldn't bring himself to do it.

"Hey sweetie."

He turned at the soft voice and saw Alyss come from the house.

"Hey kitten." He answered back.

"The noodles were really good. I think you surprised everyone. Even Ren." She said and sat next to him.

"Thanks. I told you I could do something with them if I had them."

"Yeah. I remember that. The fish and chicken Kathy fixed for it really helped too."

"At least doing that little bit for it wasn't hard on her."

"You alright?" She asked softly.

He sighed and shook his head. "Why didn't I do anything? Emerald caused us all so much pain, but I didn't do what I said I would." He said and rested his chin in his hand.

"What did you two talk about when you were alone?"

"She told me that she had to keep her emotions suppressed when she did things for Cinder. Like when she helped with the kidnappings." Jace answered and sighed again.

"Was there anything else?" Alyss asked in her soothing voice that always calmed Jace from his thoughts.

"She said that she was homeless and she just wants to be free from Cinder. I guess that's what made me stop and think."

"I guess people have different types of imprisonment. Yours was being kidnapped and hers was working with Cinder."

"She was homeless before Cinder found her. She talked about having to just scrape by, stealing from people. She doesn't remember her parents' names either."

"So, she has that in common with you?"

"I guess so."

There was a few moments of silence as they watched the fireflies flashing in the night's darkness. Each of them flying around in different directions, but three oddly seemed to follow one around.

"I don't know what to think about it all." Jace said after a while.

"I'm proud of you for not wanting to hurt her. I think that would've done more to you than to her." Alyss said and leaned against him.

"I know it wouldn't bring Gen or dad back… It'd just be something else plaguing my mind… If she's telling the truth and actually wants to help, if Hawk's actually at that base… I'll give her a chance." Jace said and leaned his head on hers.

"At least you're trying to understand."

"Yeah, but I don't know if I can forgive her."

Alyss gave a smile and rubbed her head against his shoulder. "We still need to get some alone time, remember?"

Jace let out a short laugh. "As much as I don't wanna say it, maybe we should wait until things are calmed down."

"Yeah… that would probably be smart," Alyss agreed reluctantly, "At least we can still snuggle and you can give me scritches."

"We should be careful," Jace said with a smirk as he wrapped his arm around her, "Or Kathy might throw us in the workshop anyway."

Alyss moved her head up to kiss him on the cheek. "That wouldn't be so bad."

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: Once again, a talkative chapter. Some light-hearted, some serious.**

 **Ladybug! After everything with Beacon and Blake running away, they finally sail the seas! We got to see what brought them together. And now Blake is trying to break down those walls so she can be herself for once. And n** **ow we have to wait for Yang and Weiss to be reunited, which will be all feel-good for them both.**

 **And Emerald is changing sides. After she said she kinda felt sorry for all the people in Vale, I feel that she's that kind of person to feel horrible about something bad and she'd try to make it better. She turned herself in to the Rangers, that's why she wasn't tied up and thrown in a jail cell. And she has a past more similar to Jace's than they both realize.**

 **See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	54. Chapter 53: Beginning of the End

**Beginning of the End**

"When you guys get to Atlas, you can stay at my house. I'll put the location in your scrolls and verify them to unlock the door," Jace said and put the coordinates in, then added their scrolls to the list of authorized devices. He gave a small grin, "I know you've been there, but this is just in case you get lost if the snow is bad."

Team RNJR put their scrolls up and nodded to him. "Thanks Jace. We'll take care of it while we're there." Ruby said to him.

Jace smiled and shrugged. "Don't mention it. You can use the workshop if you need to. I don't have a lot to use though."

"It's alright. Be careful with the Lance." Jaune said.

"We will. Stay safe guys," Jace replied and team RNJR turned to leave, "Oh, hey Ren."

"Yes, Jace?" Ren answered and they turned back to him.

"If you want to meditate anywhere, or if any of you want a quiet place to be for a while, follow the path behind the house."

"I will consider it. Thank you." Ren nodded to him.

"If you make it in time, can you go there and set this on Genesis' headstone on November twenty-ninth?" Jace asked and handed Ren a small piece of metal, "It's my birthday present to him."

Ren took it and looked at it. It was red in color and in the shape of a skull and a sword. "Is this his emblem?"

Jace nodded in confirmation, and Ren nodded again. "You have my word."

"Thanks Ren. See you guys later, and dress warm." Jace said and Jaune, Nora, and Ren boarded the ship.

Ruby walked forward and wrapped Blake in a tight hug. "Be safe, Blakey."

"I will. I promise," Blake said and pressed her cheek against Ruby's head. "And I'll keep this one."

"I'll make sure of it." Yang said with a smile.

They separated after a few moments and Ruby went to join the others.

"I'll see you in Vale sis!" Yang called to Ruby with a wave.

"See ya then!" She called back and waved at everyone, "Love you, Blakey!"

"I love you too!" Blake called back with a wide smile.

"It's good that the Grimm activity died down some now that people are calming down. Now people are getting ships out more and doing things." Jace said to the small group.

"The councils are still wary of everything, but they've publicly said that there will be no war." Erron said as they walked to the next ship.

"What're you gonna do about Emerald?" Yang asked the Ranger.

Erron sighed, the sound muffled by his ever-present rebreather. "I don't know. She's been cooperative with us ever since she came to us. We can't just let her go free though."

"I think she caused the most pain to you two," Blake directed at Jace and Yang, "What would you want?"

"Well, I want her to pay some way or another." Yang said and crossed her arms with a frown.

"What about you Jace?" Erron asked him.

"I… I don't know. I mean, I want her to pay too. But after what she said to me, I just don't know how. She said the only reason she joined Cinder in the first place was to survive, to finally get off the streets from being homeless. Maybe you can put her to work doing something?" Jace suggested.

"So after everything she caused, you wanna give her a job?" Yang asked in disbelief and looked at him.

"What good would shoving her in prison or just executing her do?" Jace asked and looked back at her, "It won't turn back time and Gods I know it can't bring dad or Gen back. Have her go out and kill Grimm, have someone watch her to make sure she wouldn't try anything. Send her on different missions and have her help out the kingdoms after what she helped with causing. That's how she should pay. I don't think she has to die or rot in jail."

"I just don't like it. I can't trust her." Yang said and they started walking again.

"I know it's hard to and I don't really trust her either. We were cut from the same cloth I guess… Homeless and trying to survive… I just want to hope she's telling the truth.

They arrived at the ship departing for Vale, taking much needed supplies to the survivor's enclave at the docks. Things like food, water, tools, medical and building supplies. Qrow was already onboard most likely talking with the captain.

"Well guys, I hope you can stop the White Fang there. Good luck and stay safe." Jace said before they stepped into the ship.

"Good luck with the Crimson Lance too, Jace. And thanks for helpin' me out." Yang said and the two disappeared onto the ship.

Jace and Erron walked back through the docks and then went toward SSSN's hangout.

"Even after everything that Emerald has caused for you, you want to help her like that?" Erron asked inquisitively as they walked on the sidewalk.

"It's more for the kingdoms than for her. But after what she told me about her life, I _do_ want to help her," Jace answered and sighed, "She was worse off than me, she said she was homeless her whole life, and I was homeless for a year until dad found me when I was eight. Neither of us know our birth parents' names. Like I said, cut from the same cloth. I think she deserves a chance."

"And it's a great chance you're giving her. That's more than what most people would give."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

* * *

"Emerald Sustrai. For now, you will be placed in a cell until Cinder Fall is dealt with." Erron said as he stood in front of the seated girl in the warehouse.

"Okay." She answered quietly.

"After things are taken care of, you will be released under the watch of the Rangers. You will help sweep through Vale to clear everything up, and you will be sent out to hunt Grimm and the remaining White Fang in the city. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Good," Erron said and turned to team JKDW, "Auron, Jace, we'll get her taken care of and we'll meet up at the house with the other Rangers, then we'll prepare." He led Emerald out of the building and took her to where Rangers held their prisoners, separate from the police.

"Everyone ready to go?" Jace asked his team. They nodded and prepared to leave before Jace turned to Sun, "Thanks for the help, Sun." He said to the Faunus.

"Hey, I try. Stay safe, man."

"You too. See you guys later." Jace said in farewell to them all and they left.

They arrived to Auron's truck and Jace and Alyss hopped in back and sat up against the back of the cab as Jace put _Legacy_ to his right side. "So, how do you feel about what they're giving Emerald?" Alyss asked as she took his left hand to hold.

Jace sighed and leaned his head against the cab. "I'm the one that suggested it in the first place. It would do more for the kingdoms than just executing her or putting her in prison."

"If she really does regret everything, she'll have no problems with doing it then." Alyss replied and rubbed the top of his hand with her thumb.

"I'm so glad to be able to feel with my hand again." He said happily.

The truck started up and Auron drove it down the street away from the warehouse. Jace took a glance at his prosthetic and sighed again. "I wonder what Genesis would've done."

"If he's anything like you've said, he'd give her a chance too."

Jace gave a small smile and leaned in closer to Alyss. "Yeah, you're right. You still burning up?" He asked her.

"Do you really have to ask?" She said and wiped sweat from her forehead.

Jace smiled and started to focus the ice dust in him. He radiated it outward with his aura and kissed Alyss on the cheek.

"Are you making it colder?" She asked.

"I'm trying to help with the heat. Is it working?"

She felt her temperature cooling off and she moved to give him a peck on the lips. "It really is. Thanks." She leaned closer to him and laid her head on his shoulder.

"I'm glad. Thanks again for keeping me calm since we met." Jace said and leaned his head against hers.

"You don't have to thank me." Alyss replied and sighed happily, taking comfort in the boy that she had grown so close to.

She smiled as she thought to herself. _"Yeah… I know he's definitely the one…"_

* * *

"Sorry for what I said about Jeff an' Pyrrha." Preacher said to Auron as they sat on the porch with Jace after they got back from the city.

"You're fuckin' bull-headed at times, y'know?" Auron said, "It comes with old age."

"I know that…" Preacher sighed.

"Look… we both got pissed an' we both crossed a line… I shouldn't have said anything about Charity…"

"No… you shouldn't have. An' I know I shouldn't have brought Smoke an' Pyrrha into it… The Fang caused me so much damn pain… I can't trust any of 'em, former members or not. I still don't see how you trust Blake."

"She saved my life." Jace said.

"She helped with defendin' Beacon too. She was one of Pyrrha's friends." Auron added.

Preacher shook his head. "I doubt I'll be able to trust her myself, but if you an' Kat do, I'll keep my old mouth shut."

"I forgive ya," Auron said to him, "So they actually didn't take the Paladin scraps an' the Spider Tank?" He asked to change the subject.

"Nope. The police chief said that he's about done dealin' with this shit so they just took up all the bodies an' survivors. Didn't even ask any questions this time." Preacher replied and worked on disassembling one of the rifles that were scattered on the ground.

"So we oughtta be able to sell this stuff sometime? Maybe Savage Arms would give a good price for all the weapons an' the tank." Auron thought out loud and grinned.

"Maybe you can make the money back for spending it to help me." Jace said with a grin.

"It'll be more than enough," Auron said and turned back to Preacher, "Alright, I ain't told you yet, but that girl Emerald told us that Hawk was back at that old base."

"That son of a Grimm is there!? What are we waitin' for then!?" Preacher said angrily.

"We're waiting for the Rangers to get here. Emowyn, Erron, Jax, April and Lyra." Raine answered when she stepped out of the house.

"So it'll be five Rangers an' four kids goin' against Hawk? That'll be a fight." The old man remarked and sighed.

"We'll take him down, Preacher." Raine assured him.

"No doubt in my mind that you can. I just wish I could fight with ya."

* * *

"I'm keepin' this." Preacher said as he grabbed a higher caliber bolt-action rifle than his own.

"I don't care, we got more than enough to take now." Auron said and grabbed a few more weapons to throw in the back of his truck.

"What am I doing with this?" Jace asked as he arrived with one of the legs of a Spider Tank over his shoulders.

"Throw it in a pile, just focus on weapons for now." Auron answered and went to pick up more.

Jace shrugged and tossed it back over to the destroyed tank. He started gathering up rifles and shotguns as well.

"Preacher, quit ogling the damn rifle an' put it in the front of the truck." Auron said to the old man, who slung the rifle over his back instead.

"Don't tell me what to do." He said and went to find more weapons.

Auron shook his head amusedly and felt his scroll buzz.

"Hey Raine, what is it?" He answered the call.

"They're here. Come say hi."

"Alright, were on our way." They ended the call and Auron put the few weapons in the back of the truck.

"Alright you two, let's go. The Rangers are here." He said to the others, and they dropped only a few rifles in the back.

"Good, now I can take a break." Preacher said and quickly hopped in the truck.

"You weren't kidding. He's cranky." Jace remarked with a grin.

"Yeah, now let's get goin'." Auron said and they went back toward the house.

It took them less than three minutes to arrive back at the house. They stopped the truck in front and got out, then they entered walked through the front door into the lining room.

"Hey Preacher, you doing well?" April asked the retired Ranger with a smile.

April and Lyra Dawn were tweny-five year old, identical twins. They had wavy hair that was a bright shade of purple, with light violet eyes to match. April was six feet tall while Lyra was five feet and seven inches. April wore a loose blue vest and a pair of gray cargo pants under her cloak. Lyra didn't have her cloak on for the moment. She wore a more casual combat outfit with an unbuttoned long-sleeve shirt over a green crop top, and she wore a pair of dark green pants. Both of them used special, self-loading crossbows with a drum of bolts on the bottom.

"As good as I can be with this metal leg. It's been a while since I seen you three. What've ya been up too?" Preacher asked them, returning the smile.

"We got done with a search and destroy mission not too long ago. Nest of Wretches off the north coast of the kingdom." Lyra answered.

"It was a nice little cove, too," April added, "It would make for a nice little relaxation area."

"What about you, big guy?" Preacher directed the question at the taller Ranger.

"I cleared a nest of those spider-like Grimm last month near a small village. I have to say, seeing an explosion close up a cave is quite the sight." Jax replied.

"Those are Arachs, right?" Alex asked. He had stayed at the house to both talk with Jace more and to help out if he was needed.

Jax nodded in confirmation. "Nasty creatures. Do whatever it takes to never let them bite you. Their venom works fast."

Jax Creed was one of the largest Rangers out there, standing at six feet and seven inches in height. He was a thirty year old monkey Faunus with a long brown tail that he kept wrapped around his waist. He had long, light brown hair that reached the middle of his back held back in a ponytail and had a thick beard with braids going down from either end of his mustache. He had a scar going horizontally across his leaf-green eyes, the old wound left his right eye blinded. A bandanna was wrapped around his head in a way that it was under his hair and covered his blind eye. Instead of any ranged weapon, he used two twin scimitars that he could attach at the hilt and they would expand, giving him use of a double sided glaive.

"You know Rangers are supposed to be quiet, right?" Preacher asked with a grin.

"Says the old man that snores the loudest out of anyone." Auron remarked, drawing a laugh from the five Rangers.

"Aw shut up, Auron." Preacher said and sat on a couch.

"Jax, April, Lyra. These two are Jace Reznor and Alyss Wystar. You already know Auron from what Emowyn and Erron said." Raine introduced them all.

"I'm sure you don't want us bringing up your past, so it is good to meet you Jace." Jax said and shook Jace's hand.

"Honestly, I'd be okay with it if you did. I've had a lot of time to think about it all." Jace replied.

"Well it sounds like you've got a good head on your shoulders then," April said with a smile, "It's good you're not an asshole about Faunus."

"April, don't swear in this house please." They heard Kathy say from the kitchen door.

"Sorry ma'am." She replied to her.

"Just call me Kathy." The mother replied and disappeared back to the kitchen.

"Well, I'd be hating myself if I had a problem with Faunus," Jace said and smiled at his girlfriend, "I also wouldn't be dating Alyss."

"You two are dating? That's so sweet." Lyra said and smiled.

Alyss smiled as well. "It was the best decision I've made when I told him I loved him," She turned and regarded her cloaked teammate with a grin, "Although I had some help."

"An' I was busy cookin' some food while they did it." Auron said.

"Are we gonna plan for goin' after Hawk?" Preacher asked and rolled his eyes at Alyss and Jace.

"Right, let's get started." Emowyn said and they all went to sit on the porch.

"Okay, so maybe we should discuss the best uses for our semblances," April suggested.

"Mine let's me blast out my aura in very small bursts, like bullets or blunt force. So I have both long range and close quarters covered."

"Would you care to show us?" Alyss asked.

April nodded. "Sure. Is there anything around here that I could use as a target?" She asked Preacher and Auron.

The two shared a grin and Preacher stood from his seat. "Gimme a sec." He said and rushed from the porch.

"What's he planning?" Lyra asked Auron.

"He's gettin' a piece o' trash that we needed to get rid of." The young gunslinger answered.

"I know what you mean," Jace said with a small grin, "Good fucking riddance."

"And what is it he's getting?" Emowyn asked.

"Kain's mask," Auron said, "I brought it back so I could show Preach. For 'im to know he was dead an' rottin'."

Preacher arrived after a few more moments and dropped the near-broken mask on the table. April took it and smiled. "Alright. Don't blink." She said and tossed the mask high into the air. She pointed her open palm at it and took aim. She sent her aura through her arm and blasted out a small, orange projectile of aura. It struck the mask and it shattered into a multitude of small pieces, falling around on the porch and the yard.

"I ain't cleanin' that up." Preacher said.

"Along with that, I can send it out like a pulse and knock things away from me," April continued, "Who's next?"

Jax looked up in the air and took a deep breath. He exhaled and thick smoke billowed out from his mouth into the air. He looked back down and there were still small trails of smoke coming from his nose. "That's mine. I can make large smokescreens to blind them. That's why I lack a ranged weapon. I'm able to go in, cause a smokescreen, and attack through the smoke."

Lyra grinned and activated hers, and an exact copy of herself appeared from her, standing up and nodding to them. "I can make one clone that can fight with me. Uses what I have but doesn't last too terribly long."

"And I can talk and understand orders from anyone else." The clone said.

"I can't tell you how much she confused mom and dad with that." April shook her head and smiled.

"Also gives my boyfriends a whole lot more fun." Lyra sniggered.

"Lyra!" April admonished and her sister laughed.

"What about you three?" Jax asked Alex, Jace, and Alyss before the two sisters could go further into bickering.

"Mine's like Jace's," Alex said and activated it, growing slightly larger as a light-blue aura came from his eyes. "Makes me move a bit faster too."

"Huh, we have about the same semblance?" Jace asked, "You learn something new every day."

"Mine let's me heal almost any injury," Alyss started to explain, "I'm still working on getting better with it. I healed our friend's forearm and hand after she lost them, but it put me to sleep for a month." She finished and they tilted their heads.

"You can heal lost limbs? Why haven't you healed Jace's arm?" Lyra asked, "If you don't mind me asking." She quickly added.

"I would ask how you know that," Jace started and grinned, "But you're Rangers."

Alyss tilted her head at Jace. "Why _haven't_ you asked me to try?"

Jace looked at his prosthetic and back to the others. "I just think it's something that I need to face and remember. It shows that I've fought and made it through that hell. It's a reminder of what I fight for."

"That's an interesting way to look at it." April remarked.

"And what's your semblance, exactly?" Lyra asked him.

Jace stood up and took a deep breath, then activated it. He saw their eyes go wide at seeing his body grow and the wings sprout from him. He deactivated it and sat back down as the feathers fluttered around and dissipated. "I've been practicing with it, and I think I'm getting the hang of it. Still makes me tired when I use it too much though."

"So your semblance makes you grow wings too? I've never heard of any like that." Jax said and leaned back in his chair.

"It didn't always used to grow wings. I guess my semblance just evolved." Jace replied.

"I just had a thought…" Alex said and grabbed one of the feathers before it evaporated, "Do you think my semblance would do the same thing and give me wings?"

"I really wouldn't know," Jace answered, "If it does, then I'll know for sure if mine just evolved and it wasn't part of the experiments."

"It is certainly possible since you both have a shared semblance like the Schnees." Jax remarked.

"I guess I'll go ahead an' say I got two of 'em, even if I don't know how to use one," Auron said and saw the confused expressions of the three Rangers, "I figured out that I got my dad's semblance along with mine now. So if I figure out exactly how, I can disappear into smoke an' come back behind somethin'. Then there's my metal."

"Alright, so we got Auron with his dust-metal an'… his smoke, Raine with her eyes, Jace with his power an' wings, Alex with _his_ power, Alyss with her healin'," Preacher looked through the four students, then to the five Rangers, "An' we got Jax with his smokescreens, Lyra with her clone, April with her aura blasts, Erron with his highlights, an' Emowyn with her shadow. I think you got a good chance of walkin' outta there with Hawk's head."

"One thing I'm worried about is that poison, though." Auron said and felt himself shiver.

"Poison? What poison?" Alex asked.

"It's a bad one. It'll cause you to slowly get paralyzed from the feet up," Auron explained lowly, "There ain't no cure."

"We'd need to keep him from hitting us." Jace said and bit his lip in thought.

"Maybe if we could freeze him, we can deal with him like an Armaddon." Raine suggested.

"That could work, but we'd need to keep him distracted." Emowyn said.

"That would be good for my clone." Lyra crossed her arms and looked to the air.

"My dust-metal walls could do it too, but it'd take a lot outta me." Auron looked down and put his head in his hands.

"I think we'll have a while to think on it. We need to train to keep ready and Auron needs to practice with his semblances." Jace said and rolled his neck a bit.

"Let's just take a break for now." Erron suggested and everyone nodded in agreement.

The five, and former, Rangers went back into the house while team JKDW and Alex sat on the porch. It's true that they had to keep their training up while they prepared to find Hawk, but how could they train against a poison?

"Hey Alyss, if the worst thing happened and someone got poisoned, do you think your semblance would cure it?" Jace asked her with a shred of worry in his voice.

Alyss thought about the scary possibility. "I would have to try really hard and keep at it. I wouldn't know if it would even cure things like that. I just hope I won't have to." She answered and her ears pressed against her head at the thought of any of her friends being poisoned and she couldn't help. The thought absolutely terrified her.

 _"Oh Gods… what if someone gets poisoned and I can't heal it…? If they die, It would be my fault because I wouldn't be good enough. What if Jace…"_ Her eyes started to water at the horrifying thoughts flashing in her head, _"No… Please no… I-I want him to be my-"_

"Alyss, are you alright?" Jace asked and laid his hand on her shoulder.

She snapped out of her thoughts and wiped at her eyes. "I'm just… really worried." She said quietly.

Jace leaned over and hugged her. "Hey, don't worry. If I can help it, no one's gonna get poisoned. It'll be alright." He assured her in a soft voice.

She hugged him back and she buried her face into his shoulder. Jace rubbed her back softly and whispered in a such a low voice that only Alyss could hear.

"I won't let anything happen to any of us. I won't let anything happen to _you_."

After a few more moments, Alyss finally pulled away. "Thanks for that, Jace." She said and smiled.

Jace nodded and smiled back. Then he frowned as he looked to his brother. "Alex, I don't think you need to go with us on this. I… I don't really want you to."

"Why not." Alex asked and his brow furrowed.

"Because if something bad happens and you get poisoned, I'm not gonna be able to forgive myself. I just met you not that long ago and found out you're my brother. My last bit of family. I don't wanna lose that," Jace sighed and looked down, "It's not even your fight."

Alex sighed. "I'm gonna stop you there. You're the only family I have, so how do you think it makes me feel that you're going head-first into a fight against some bastard that uses poison? It _is_ my fight because you're my brother. It's my fight because I'm not letting my family go into a fight that he might not come out of. I don't even have to fight Hawk or whatever the fuck his name is, I'd only be dealing with their grunts. It's both our fight for different reasons."

Jace sighed and let out a laugh. "This must be how Gen felt with worrying about me… Alright, you can go."

"Alright. So, when are we gonna train?"

* * *

"Jace, I don't mean to sound rude, but this is extremely heavy." Alyss said as she held _Legacy_ in front of her.

"It's an Artillery Claymore, it's supposed to be heavy." Jace responded and spun _Soul Leaf_ around in his hand while it was in its glaive form.

"You made that up, first of all. And second, this is supposed to be the first of its kind, right?" She put her aura to her arms and held the sword a bit easier.

"And I made it to be heavy because I _really_ hate Armaddons." Jace replied and grinned.

"Good point, I guess. I guess we could start now, couldn't we?" She asked and looked over to the others.

"I don't see how this is gonna work." Auron said as he held Raine's sword in his large hand.

"Same here." Raine agreed and hefted _Last Call_ in both her hands.

"The _point_ is to make it work," Jace explained and held _Soul Leaf_ ready, "You never know when we might be forced to use each others' weapons."

"Yeah, I get that, but I just don't see it workin'." Auron replied.

"Soooo, do I get to sit out with this?" Alex asked and twirled the hilt of _Celosia_ in his hand.

"For now," Jace answered and looked back to his team, "Are you ready?" He asked everyone.

"Yeah." They each said.

"Go!"

* * *

The first time team JKDW sparred using each others' weapons was complete disaster. Their attacks toward each other were sloppy, leaving many openings for a counterattack that wouldn't come due to the unease at using a completely unfamiliar weapon.

Auron, being used to the long reach of _Last Call_ , came up short with his strikes as he used Raine's sword. Raine unconsciously switched to trying to use Auron's sword with one hand, making the blade fall to the ground from the weight. Jace had tried to grip _Soul Leaf_ like a claymore on more than one occasion, sending the shaft of the weapon into the others rather than the blade. And Alyss could hardly get _Legacy_ up to connect with any attack, the blade was always deflected or was just sent into the ground.

"Well _that_ was hilarious to watch." Alex said with a wide grin.

"Oh shut up," Jace said to him, then he looked around at everyone else, "We can work on this some other time. I still think it's a good idea though. Let's just focus on our own weapons for now." He suggested and everyone quickly agreed.

"We'd need months to train like that." Raine said as she handed _Last Call_ back to Auron.

"Maybe someday, Jace." Alyss said with a grin as she gave him _Legacy._

"Yeah, someday." He agreed and handed over her weapon.

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: Now we know Emerald's fate and we met three new side characters. April, Lyra, and Jax. And now Ladybug is separated again, because Blake has her demon to take care of, and Ruby is getting the band back together.**

 **Looks like Jace and Alex have a family semblance too. Possibly complete with wings.**

 **The next chapter will be another fight, so get ready for that. See you then, and have a nice day!**


	55. Chapter 54: Never Again

**Never Again**

"You kids definitely got enough training in before this, didn't you?" April asked with a grin as the group of ten walked through the forest.

They spent two weeks preparing for this fight. Each day was spent training alone and sparring together as a team. Auron trained with his dual semblances mostly, still uneasy with turning into smoke like, well, Smoke. Alyss trained with Jax, the two having similar weapons. He gave her valuable pointers on how to move and dance around enemies and keep striking at them at the same time. For being as large as he was, Jax was nearly as nimble on his feet as Raine. Jace and Auron constantly sparred with each other. Alex and Raine trained with their katanas with Alex beating her a few times due to his fighting style being completely new to her.

Each of them knew they had to be prepared for anything Hawk could do. After what Auron explained to Alex, he knew as well.

"Yeah. We're ready." Jace replied. With each step he took, he shook his right hand and arm around, working his joints to be as loose as they can be.

Each of them were completely focused on the fight ahead. Jace and Alyss stopped holding hands after two days of walking, only sleeping together when they rested for the night. They had traveled for three days, so they would arrive at their destination soon. Emowyn remembered every detail of where to go and she led them without hesitation.

"It's about time to face our demon, ain't it?" Auron asked Jace, his voice low and almost different than before.

"Oh yeah. I'm gonna exorcise my sword through his damn chest." Jace replied.

"And he's the one that was actually responsible for you being kidnapped?" Alex asked.

"Yeah. He is. We're taking him straight to hell."

"He can meet Grigori there, right?" Raine spoke up.

"And Kain." Alyss added.

"Oh wow," Raine said with a grin, "I didn't think you'd be one to say something like that, Alyss."

"It's not my fault I know where people deserve to go," Alyss replied, then she turned to Erron, "Hey, do you mind if I ask why you're wearing that mask?"

"It's fine," Erron shrugged, "I had a lot of breathing complications as a baby. My aura couldn't do anything for it by the time it was unlocked, so I have to wear this rebreather."

"Oh… Doesn't it get in the way when you eat?"

Erron shook his head and used his aura to retract the rebreather to the pack on his nape. "I had to modify it like this to be less annoying," He said and made it form over his mouth again, "I've gotten used to it."

Jace glanced at Alyss, looking like she was deep in thought. He smiled a bit, he knew exactly what she was thinking.

After another hour of walking, they finally arrived.

It was deserted. Everyone else stayed back in the forest while Jace and Auron walked into the base. They looked around, seeing scattered weapons on the ground from the battle before. They looked everywhere and saw no one.

"You don't think she lied do you?" Auron asked quietly.

"Honestly, I doubt it. Why would she lie after giving herself up?"

"Maybe split us all up? I wouldn't be surprised."

"If she lied to us, then the Rangers will take care of her." Jace replied and they walked around more.

They looked around and eventually came to a stop in front of a warehouse. Jace could hear noises coming from inside. "Something's in there." He said to Auron and they brought their weapons out.

"What's it sound like?" Auron asked.

"Like… someone sharpening a sword." Jace replied.

The sound stopped and they stood for a minute before acting. Jace moved to open the large door, but it was blasted off its hinges as Hawk bursted from the building. Jace returned to his feet and Auron stood next to him.

"Storm and Karmine. I knew you'd come," Hawk said and stepped forward, showing off a new large greatsword and tower shield, "I knew you couldn't resist your desire for revenge."

"It ain't revenge…" Auron growled at the bear, "It's Oum damned justice…" He said lowly as his voice sounded gravelly in his deep voice, deeper than normal. Jace glanced at Auron as he raised an eyebrow. It almost didn't sound like Auron at all.

"What do you hope to accomplish, Karmine?" Hawk asked Auron with a near-devilish grin, "I fought and defeated your father and I have killed many who have defied my leader's will. You are just two boys in a world that would tear you apart. What hope do you have against me?"

"Hawk… that was one year ago when you murdered my father…" Auron growled at the Faunus as his mouth twitched, showing his clenched teeth, "Since then, I learned from that and I trained. Ever since you attacked us that one night, I've dug dozens of holes for dozens of souls… When you decided to show yourself in Vale, I buried Kain in his. When we came to Mistral, I knew my goal… I'm gonna dig a hole for your soul an' I'm gonna bury you an' the Lance. For everything you've done, you're gonna pay…"

"If you will try to bury my soul, then try!" Hawk yelled his challenge.

Jace rushed forward and struck at him with an overhanded swing, but Hawk blocked the attack with his shield. "You two were very foolish to face me alone!" Hawk said and bashed Jace away.

Auron rushed forward and sliced at Hawk from the side, but Hawk blocked it with his own blade and let the sword slide down the length of it. Auron recovered quickly and struck with a side slash. He hit the large Faunus in the stomach and he grunted from the force of the blow. He slashed at both Jace and Auron, they blocked the attacks and were knocked away from the towering Faunus.

They looked around and saw more than fifty Crimson Lance soldiers come from the trees. Then the Rangers stepped in and fired their weapons on the soldiers, distracting them from going after Auron and Jace. All except for one that went toward them anyway, ignoring the arrows and gunshots that flew by him.

He was a cat Faunus, but the ears he should've had were gone.

He struck at Jace's back and caused a shallow gash diagonally across. Jace turned around and took a sharp breath at seeing what was left of the man's ears. "You're gonna pay for my ears you bastard!" He said and struck at Jace again.

Jace blocked the strike easily and pushed him back, then looked back to see Auron striking at Hawk again.

"Take care of 'im!" Auron called and Jace nodded. Jace rushed forward and sent his sword against his side. The man blocked the attack and was knocked backwards several feet.

"Jace, Auron, is everything alright!?" Erron called through the scrolls.

"Alyss! The person that killed your mom is here!" Jace called back. He didn't want to call him her father.

"What!?" Alyss called back in shock.

"Don't worry about it. I'll take care of him."

Jace went after Alyss' father and went for a downward strike. He moved out of the way and _Legacy_ bit deep down into the ground. Jace pulled his sword out and struck again, catching the Faunus' sword and knocking him back again.

"So, my daughter's here too? It'll be good to catch up with her." He said to Jace and grinned.

"You have no right to call her your daughter!" Jace yelled and jumped at him.

* * *

Hawk blocked Auron's swing with his shield, then struck out and knocked him back. Hawk brought his sword in a downward arc and Auron blocked it with _Last Call_. Their swords locked together and they were mere inches from each other's face.

"You won't be able to damage me, Karmine. My skin is hard as diamond with my semblance." Hawk taunted and gave a sadistic smile.

"You an' your semblance can burn in hell with your brother." Auron growled and pulled his black and gray revolver from its holster and shot at Hawk's face, the flash blinding his more light-sensitive eyes while Auron kicked him away.

Auron took the opportunity and went on the attack while Hawk was blinded. He sliced at every opening he could, but It was ineffective. He swung his blade sideways at the Faunus, firing off a shot to give it more power. He struck the large Faunus in the side, but he caught the blade after he dropped his sword.

"How do you channel your aura as you do!?" Hawk questioned the teen with a yell.

Auron fired another shot and pulled his sword from Hawk's grasp. "You'll never know. I'll take it to my grave if I got to."

Hawk bashed Auron with his shield and picked his sword up again. He thrusted forward at Auron's gut, connecting past where Auron was able to bring his blade up. He stepped back as the hit took a large chunk from his aura. Auron rushed forward and Hawk raised his shield, Auron used his foot in place of his sword, driving his left boot into the lower part of the shield and causing it to tilt. He struck out with his right fist and caught the Lance leader in the jaw with his gauntleted knuckles, causing Hawk to stagger from the force.

Auron quickly tried to take advantage by swinging his sword down from above but Hawk lifted his blade up to block. He reared his shield back and swung the edge toward Auron, striking him in the head and sending him tumbling backward with his hat falling from his head. He reared his greatsword back and swung down hard from above and Auron wasn't able to bring his blade or armguard up to block it. He jumped backwards but the tip connected with his forehead and sliced diagonally between his eyes, breaking past his aura and drawing a gash down to his lower cheek. The blade slammed into the ground and Auron fell backwards as he brought his hand up to his face.

Hawk lifted his sword from the ground and slowly walked toward Auron. "This will be your end-"

He was cut off when an arrow hit him in the back and bursted to encase his torso in ice. He growled and sent his aura through his torso and flared the burn dust in his clothing, making the ice melt from his body. He turned around and set his shield in front of him as Lyra unloaded a full drum of crossbow bolts into it. She picked a sword up from the ground and ran toward him. She brought the blade hard toward his side in a stab, but it was deflected off his skin and she stumbled forward. Hawk lifted his knee into her stomach and pushed her back with his shield, causing her to fall out of balance. He swung his sword as hard as he could at her midsection and made contact with her flesh.

"What!?" Hawk yelled at seeing both halves of the woman disappear. The bolts in his shield dissipated as well and he began to be pelted by shots from Erron's rifle. He turned his shield toward the direction they came from before a flaming katana cutting across his vision, blinding his eyes from the bright light. Alex wasted no time in moving around the large Faunus as he activated his semblance. He sliced across Hawk's back with ten fast strikes as the Faunus readjusted his eyes. Hawk swung his greatsword around and Alex jumped backwards with a one-handed handspring, then he dashed forward and sliced at Hawks stomach.

"Hmm, I thought Storm's brother was killed…" Hawk said and glared at Alex's face, "I will make sure you stay that way."

Before he could move forward toward Alex, Raine ran in from behind and blasted a fully charged round from Shagahod into the back of his right knee, dropping him down to his other knee. She moved to his front and sent a hard roundhouse kick to his face, then she reversed her spin and kicked him in the back of the head with the heel of her boot. He shot forward and went to cleave at her from the side, but Alex jumped from behind and dropkicked him in the back of the head, stunning him again.

The two backed off and stood between Auron and Hawk defensively as Raine drew her sword.

* * *

"Where's my girl at anyway?" Alyss' father taunted Jace with a smirk.

Jace didn't answer and brought _Legacy_ back down hard in blinding rage. He had to calm himself down, or he would risk making a grave mistake. The man was playing games with him, asking about Alyss and he knew it was grating at Jace's nerves. Jace pulled his sword from the ground and swung it sideways at the man, but he dodged out of the way of the attack.

"You love her don't you? A human in love with a Faunus… it's sick," The man continued and scowled, "You humans don't even deserve to be on this world with us let alone be in a relationship!" Within the next second, he was struck in the back. The man turned around in anger, but smirked when he saw who it was.

"Well look who came out of hiding." He said and focused his attention toward Alyss.

"Jace, go help Auron and Alex and Raine. She called to Jace and held _Soul Leaf_ ready.

"Alyss, are you sure?" Jace asked her.

"Yeah, I'm sure." She answered and spun _Soul Leaf_ around clockwise, bringing the blade down into her father's sword.

Jace nodded and ran to where Auron and Alex were fighting with Hawk, where Raine had also arrived.

Alyss pulled her staff back and stabbed forward multiple times, each propelled forward by a burst from the blunt end. She glared at him with cold eyes each time she struck at him and he dodged.

"What's wrong Aly? Mad at me?" He asked with a smirk and swung his sword at her.

She didn't answer and attacked again, dodging the sword, spinning around and bringing her staff hard into his side. He took the strike fully and kicked out at her, striking her in the knee and dropping her guard. She fell to her knee as he brought his sword back for a thrust. She fell backwards as the tip of the blade missed her chin by mere centimeters. She brought her legs back and planted both feet into his gut, sending him sailing backwards. He landed on his back as Alyss came to her feet. He scrambled to regain his footing as Alyss walked up to him with her blade extended toward him.

"You should be ashamed of yourself. Being with that human is so degrading to our heritage," He said with a scowl and sent the thrust attempt sailing to his side, then raised his knee to Alyss' stomach, "I thought my daughter would be better than that." He kneed her again and again before she blocked it with her staff.

"You're not my father!" She yelled and bashed him in the gut. The man quickly lifted his head back up and headbutted her in the mouth, stunning her and giving him the opportunity to drive his fist into her gut and slice her glaive from her hand. He continued and kept slicing at her, driving her aura closer and closer to breaking. He struck her one last time and drew a gash in her cheek, extending from her left ear to her nose.

She screamed and extended her claws from her fingertips, then swiped at his face and and stunned him, drawing blood from multiple gashes on his face. He brought his hand up to his cheeks and gritted his teeth as he glared at her. He yelled and charged at her with his blade held high above him. A gunshot stopped him in his tracks as he stared at the revolver in Alyss' hand. She shot five more times into his stomach and around his chest and he fell his knees, then face-first to the ground.

He turned over onto his back and and stared in shock at her as she stood over him with _Soul Leaf_ in her hands. She brought it up and leveled the blade at his chest.

"Y-you'd kill your own flesh and blood?" He gasped out as trickles of blood came from his mouth.

Alyss shook her head and gripped her glaive with white knuckles. "No… Y-you were _never_ my flesh and blood… I'll kill the monster that took mom away from me."

She stabbed forward and held the trigger in, blasting the blade of _Soul Leaf_ deep into his chest.

* * *

Jace activated his semblance and rushed toward Hawk. His wings propelled him forward and he caught the Faunus off guard, sending him into a wall with a powerful strike. He let the wings dissipate and stood next to Auron, Alex, and Raine.

"You both have been a thorn in my mind for far too long." Hawk said and stood up straight.

Auron ran forward again and Hawk raised his tower shield. Auron struck high on the shield, causing it to tilt backwards, and Jace ran in and struck low, hitting Hawk's knees with a powerful attack that took one leg from under him from the force. Auron struck from behind, catching Hawk horizontally along his back and Jace struck as well, hitting his back vertically.

As Hawk had his shield down, Alex set his blade into the clamp on the back of his right boot and kicked forward, striking his torso numerous times. Hawk brought his shield up and blocked the last one and Alex used that to kick himself backward. He grabbed his sword from his boot and grinned toward Jace.

"I'm tagging out now that you're back. Good luck." He said and went to leave, but not before he spun around in a roundhouse kick toward Hawk. He activated the burn dust in his pants and sent out a heavy fireball toward him. It hit the bear Faunus and the fire exploded outward, covering the ground around him in flames. Alex took his leave and ran to give Jax some backup, seeing that he was standing against seven grunts.

"I'm gonna go help Em," Raine said, "You two be careful." She said and left to help her sister.

"How's that cut on your face?" Jace asked Auron.

"Annoyin' as all hell. But my aura got a rest when Alex an' the others distracted him, so I'm good." Auron answered, his voice still very strange to Jace.

Hawk stepped from the flames and glared the two teens that were left. He dropped his shield and gripped his greatsword with both hands as he gritted his teeth. He walked toward them and swung the large sword easily. Jace blocked it and Auron struck at Hawk's side, but he brought his blade back in time to block it. Jace backed off and prepared to strike again with a downward arc and Auron brought up a pillar of dust-metal to strike Hawk in the gut.

Jace started the swing and fired a large round, bringing the blade up and around into the downward motion. Hawk brought his hand up and _Legacy_ struck it, and was stopped hard.

"I warned you! My skin is hard as diamond! You will not kill me!" Hawk yelled and pushed Jace back.

Jace went to swing at him from the right and Hawk blocked his strike again. Auron saw the opening and rushed forward to grab the bear Faunus' throat. He sent the both of them into the air with a large pillar. He pushed forward as they fell, tilting Hawk's body backward, then pushed with all his force and slammed Hawk into the ground. Auron moved away and Jace summoned his wings and propelled himself upward. He let the wings disappear and he started to fall. He sent gravity dust through _Legacy_ and held it high above his head.

Hawk saw it coming and rolled out of the way just before Jace struck. _Legacy_ went deep into the ground and the dust dispelling from the sword caused the earth around him to shatter and fly into the air. Hawk came to his feet and blasted Jace away with a powerful straight kick, then sent Auron away with a slash of his sword hitting Auron's armguard.

"I'm finished with you, Storm!" Hawk said and brought out a vial of clear liquid.

"You may have adapted to this world after what Grigori accomplished. And I'll admit that you adapted well with what was done…" He smashed it onto his blade and ran his hand along the length of it. He walked toward Jace as he was coming to his feet.

"But you will die as Karmine did!" Hawk yelled and brought the sword down with crushing force.

Jace sent his aura through his prosthetic and brought it up above him and the sword struck it. Jace could admit that he loved to be able to feel pain in that arm again, a thought that would most likely draw confused stares from anyone he told if he told anyone.

Hawk looked with satisfaction as he thought his blade would shear through the 'flesh' of Jace's arm, but stared in confusion as the sword was stopped fully by the Atlesian metal prosthetic.

"How!?"

"If you don't remember…" Jace said to him as he pulled _Ebon_ from his belt, "This is a prosthetic made from Atlesian alloy. You won't be able to damage it!"

He blasted Hawk in the face with all nine rounds from his pistol, stunning him and making him bolt back backward. Jace ran and jumped toward him, then planted both his boots into Hawk's chest, sending him flying away with a pulse of air. Auron brought a pillar up diagonally and Hawk's back slammed into it, breaking it down. He barely landed on his feet and staggered around.

Jace grabbed _Legacy_ and pulled it from the ground, then focused on the dust again. He sent out yellow bolt dust all along his sword's edge, fusing it to the blade and making it crackle with electricity. Jace didn't get well enough with it in time for the battle though, so he needed time to do it.

"I WARNED YOU!" Hawk bellowed and went toward Jace.

Auron charged in and stood between them with his sword held behind him and his armguard in front of his body. Hawk growled and swung his greatsword toward Auron in a downward arc, hoping to cleave his arm off. Auron raised and sent his aura through his arm and extended his shield. The blade caught the shield and Auron redirected it to the side, then he slashed three times with his blade across Hawk's stomach. Hawk yelled and twisted his body around, building momentum to strike Auron out of his way.

The blade connected with Auron's side as he grinned wickedly, but the grin turned into a look of complete shock as Auron disappeared into black smoke. He turned around as Auron reformed behind him and he unleashed a barrage of slashes at Hawk's torso. He brought his heavy blade around again, aimed at Auron's head, but he brought his shield up and blocked it, then bashed Hawk in the face to turn him around.

What he saw was Jace coming toward him. He growled and stepped forward toward Jace as well, ignoring Auron. He swung his sword sideways at him and Jace did the same. The blades met and the bolts of electricity shot from _Legacy_. Jace stared deep into Hawk's diamond-colored eyes through his mask, a fitting match to his semblance, with hatred and bared his teeth at him.

They separated their swords and struck again, over and over, sending sparks flying in all directions. Jace brought _Legacy_ up and around for an overhand attack and Hawk brought his greatsword up to block it. Jace pulsed more aura and bolt dust into _Legacy_ and opened the tip of it again. He brought it down and fired a shot from his blade, sending it down like a charge from an Armaddon. Jace's blade met Hawk's and the greatsword started to give.

 _Legacy_ started to shear through the greatsword just like when they encountered each other before. Hawk anticipated it and had made an upgrade for his weapon before this fight. He pulled a smaller longsword from the blade with his left hand, leaving Jace to cleave through the larger blade as Hawk prepared to counterattack. He stabbed the blade forward but a metal pillar summoned up by Auron knocked it away, giving Jace the opening he needed.

Jace swung his sword back around in an upward arc, pulsing his aura through his blade more and more as he fired another shot, catching Hawk's left arm at the armpit. Hawk looked in disbelief as Jace cut through his remaining aura and cleaved through his skin.

"GGAAAAAHH!" Hawk cried out and sent his right fist into Jace's head, stunning him.

Hawk picked his blade up from his severed arm and glared fiercely at Jace, showing the white of his eyes through his mask. He swung his sword at Jace, but he jumped forward and kicked Hawk in the chest with another blast of air, sending him backwards past Auron. Jace fell to his back out of the drain of energy and could only watch as the rest took place in front of him.

Hawk stood up uneasily and growled at them. "I-I will not die here!" He yelled and shambled toward Jace, but Auron stood in his way.

Hawk growled again and swung his sword down toward Auron. The gunslinger brought his armguard up and extended his shield, blocking the strike easily. Auron's emblem flared in Hawk's face and blinded him as Auron bashed the blade away. He stared straight into Hawk's hate-filled eyes.

"How…?" Hawk growled at Auron.

"HOW!?"

Auron brought his sword back, then thrusted forward and upward into Hawk's stomach, the blade passing by his heart. Auron withdrew his sword and flicked it clean of the excess of blood as Hawk fell to his knees. He glared upward as Auron pulled his black and gray revolver again.

"I done told you once you son of a bitch… that you was gonna pay. Now burn in hell."

Auron blasted both barrels into Hawk's head, cracking the Nevermore mask and finally putting an end to Hawk and the Crimson Lance, finally avenging his father, and finally letting Jace have justice for everything that happened to him and his family.

As Hawk's body fell to the ground, the fighting around the area stopped as the rest of the Lance stared in disbelief at their leader being killed. Most of them fought on and were ultimately killed, while _very_ few dropped to their knees to surrender.

Jace stood and walked over to Auron to stand next to him as he was kneeling by Hawk, wiping the rest of the blood from his sword with Hawk's outfit.

Jace held _Legacy_ up to his head and closed his eyes. "Gen… Dad… He's gone now." He said and put his sword on his back.

"It's done, Jace… I need a minute… go see if Alyss is alright." Auron said and glanced over to where Alyss was on her knees over the body of her father.

All the Rangers gathered the few Lance soldiers that surrendered, it was only three. Their arms were quickly tied behind their backs and lined up against a building while Jax watched over them. Everyone tended to their small wounds while Jace walked over to his girlfriend. She was staring down at the ground.

"It's over, Alyss." He said and put a hand on her shoulder.

"I know… You avenged your family didn't you?" She asked silently.

"Yeah… they finally have justice."

Alyss looked up to him with tears in her eyes. Jace gasped as he saw the cut on her face. He kneeled down quickly and brought his first-aid kit out. He brought cloth from it and started gently wiping the blood from Alyss' face as her returning aura took care of stopping the blood flow. He took disinfectant from his kit next and rubbed it over the long gash, then he put a few patches over it. When that was done he set his kit to the side and looked into her eyes.

"You alright?"

She shook her head. "I… I got justice for mom… I avenged her, but… I just wish I didn't have to…" She wrapped her arms around him and sobbed into his shoulder.

"Why did he have to kill her? Why did he come back just to kill her? Why did I have to kill my own father?" She asked and cried, letting her tears soak into Jace's jacket.

Jace could feel his own tears welling up at seeing her like this and he returned the hug. He leaned his head close and spoke softly in her ear. "I don't know Alyss… I know I told Yang that things happen for a reason but… I just don't know. Dad taught me that the world is a horrible place… and it's filled with horrible people," He ran his fingers through her hair and pulled her tighter against him, "There's no way to tell what went on in his head or if he was always like that… If something just set him off. No one should have to kill their own father… No one should even have to kill anyone."

"Why did he have to come back…? Mom won't be able to see me graduate Beacon now…"

"Alyss, don't lie to yourself," Jace replied and she moved away to look at him. Her emerald and sapphire eyes were shining with tears.

"She'll still be watching you… she'll always watch over you. She'll watch you grow, watch you succeed, and she'll always be proud of who you are. Just like I know Gen and dad are watching me, like Auron knows his dad is watching him, and like Jaune knows Pyrrha is watching him." Jace could see a light in her eyes as he finished the words.

More tears fell as she leaned back into Jace, wrapping her arms around him more tightly. "She never got to meet you."

"And I wish I could've met her…" Jace replied and leaned his head against hers.

Jace fell back off his knees to sit on the ground as he pulled Alyss into his lap, lightly petting the back of her head. They sat in that embrace for half an hour while everyone else prepared to leave. Auron held Hawk's mask and stared through the hole in the forehead of it. Erron and Emowyn stood over the site where Preacher lost his leg. Raine, April and Lyra walked around to make sure no more Crimson Lance soldiers were hiding. And Jax and Alex kept a watchful eye on the three surviving soldiers, who were eying Jace and Alyss with confused stares.

"Are you alright now?" Jace asked softly.

She took a deep breath and nodded. "Y-yeah… can we go now?"

"As soon as the Rangers finish."

"Then I don't wanna let go…" Alyss said and pulled herself even tighter to Jace, "I-I want you to promise me something…"

"What is it?"

"Don't leave me… P-please don't ever leave me… You and Raine a-and Auron are the only family I have left. I don't ever want to be alone…"

Jace nodded against her shoulder and wrapped his arms tighter around her. "I promise that I'll always stay with you. We'll always be here and nothing in this world will change that."

* * *

"Is everyone ready to leave now?" Erron asked the group.

Everyone nodded and they turned toward the forest back to Auron's home. Auron tied Hawk's mask to his belt to show Preacher when they returned, so the old man could know that it was finally done. Raine walked and chatted with Emowyn about everything Raine had done after the Rangers' Gathering. Erron talked with April and Lyra about the different missions they had done in the past few months. Jax was still keeping watch over the three prisoners, who had discarded their masks, and made sure that they wouldn't try anything. Alex was with him in doing that, giving Jace and Alyss some space to themselves.

The two walked closely together, hand in hand, while Jace kept her cooled off with his ice dust-fueled aura. He knew she needed that bit of comfort from the scorching hot and humid weather after what she had to do. If he kept doing that the whole way back to the house, he knew it would drain him of his energy, but he didn't care as long as it helped Alyss.

He glanced at Auron and went to ask the question that was on his mind. "Hey Auron… Why did your voice get so… different?"

Auron sighed. "It's 'cause I was pissed. Like how Yang's eye's change color when she gets mad. My voice gets real deep an' gravelly. There was only one time it ever done it an' that was back… at the end o' my first relationship."

"I know that part's none of my business. If you want to talk about that sometime, then you know we're here…" Jace assured him.

"Not now… I don't know when I'd wanna talk about that, but thanks."

Jace nodded. "Hopefully you never get mad enough for your voice to go like that again. But at least I know why."

"Yeah… I hope so too." Auron said, then he fell in line to speak with Erron.

"Hey Jace, when we get back… I wanna talk to you about something." Alyss said nervously.

"What about?"

"Well, right now, I don't know how to explain it. I'd have to think on it. But… it's something important that I'd like to do."

"Whatever it is, I'm sure I'll be happy to do it too." Jace replied and kissed her cheek to help ease her mind.

"Thanks, Jace."

In front of them and behind them, Emowyn, Raine and Jax gave small smiles at what Alyss was wanting to do, happy that she felt so comfortable and happy with Jace to even bring up the suggestion.

* * *

The group of thirteen came out into the large field where Auron's house sat and walked tiredly towards it. The prisoners had long since abandoned the Crimson lance emblem after seeing the affection that Jace, a human, showed to Alyss, finally finding out that a human can be just as caring toward a Faunus as another Faunus. If only all the others of the now-dead organization or the White Fang itself could've opened their eyes to it.

Auron took the lead as they walked closer and closer. Before long, they saw six people standing on the porch of the house. Kathy, Preacher, and team SSSN. Preacher and Kathy stepped off the porch and walked forward to meet them.

"Oh Oum Auron! Your face!" Kathy exclaimed as she saw the scabbed-over gash.

"It's alright, mom. I cleaned it after the fight." Auron assured her.

"And you're gonna be cleaning it every night until it's healed. You understand me?" She ordered him.

Auron smiled at the overprotectiveness. "Yeah. I will."

Kathy nodded and turned to Alyss, visibly cringing at the mark on her. "You too," She said and looked to Jace, "And you make sure she does."

"When I feel up to it, I'm gonna heal it with my semblance," Alyss assured her, "And I'll heal Auron's too."

"Well until you do feel up to it, you're cleaning it every day."

"I'll make sure she does." Jace said.

Preacher stepped forward and looked to Auron. "Did you do it?"

Auron reached behind and untied the mask from his belt, then tossed it on the ground in front of Preacher. The old man looked down and saw the hole through the mask and gave a deep sigh of relief.

He bent down and picked it up, then looked back to Auron. "I'll be damned… Finally…" He said and walked toward Smoke's grave. Kathy let him off the hook with the swearing this time. Her husband finally had peace.

Kathy stepped forward again and wrapped Auron in a hug. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Of course I'm alright," Auron grinned a bit at her, "I still got you to look after."

"I still think you're the one that needs looked after." Kathy replied and smiled.

She turned to everyone else. "I'll try to fix everyone a good dinner. That red-haired boy said he can cook and that he'd help."

"That sounds really good." Alex said.

"We can help too." April and Lyra volunteered.

"Alright. I guess we should go get started." Kathy said and the three walked toward the house.

"So what's next, Jace?" Auron asked his leader and close friend.

"We'll rest for a while," Jace said and looked up to the sky, "We'll remember the family that we lost because of them… then we'll head to Vale."

"Remember what I said, Jace. I'm gonna tell you two this too," Alyss said to Auron and Raine, "Since mom died, you guys are my only family now… I don't ever want to lose that."

Auron smiled and reached his hand up to lay it on her shoulder. "With all we've been through, I consider you guys another family too. It's been great damn luck to get put on a team with y'all."

"Yeah, same here," Raine said and steped forward to hug Alyss, "I'm realy glad I missed that deadline last year. I like hanging out with you guys and I think you're as good a family as my own."

"Hey now, don't go replacing us." Emowyn said with a laugh.

Raine shook her head. "Shut up, we're having a moment." She told her sister and Jace wrapped both Raine and Alyss in a hug. Auron stepped in and wrapped his arms around all of them.

Alyss poked her head out of the group and found Alex, just standing close by as he waited for them to finish. "Hey Alex," She said and got his attention. She moved her arm from Raine and held it out to him, "Come on. You can be part of this too."

He grinned a bit and shook his head. "I mean, I haven't done anything for you to think of me as family, so-"

"Oh just get over here," She interrupted and motioned for him with her hand, "You might not be now, but I know you will be."

To Alex's surprise, everyone else opened their arms up to him. He smiled as he felt his voice catch in his throat. He stepped forward and they all embraced each other. "All of you are just so damn friendly… I'm glad I decided to steal from Connor."

Jace laughed at that. "I wouldn't let him hear you say that."

They stayed in the embrace for a few more moments before they separated. Both Alyss and Alex had tears in their eyes from it.

"I need to go see dad… See you guys in the house." Auron said and walked toward where Preacher was.

Jax tied the three Faunus to a post on the porch and the rest sat in the seats. Jace and Alyss rested against each other as they all could finally relax.

"So you guys did it?" Sun asked.

They all nodded in confirmation. Sun, Neptune and Sage breathed a sigh of relief and sat down as well.

"Finally." Jace said and leaned his head onto Alyss'.

* * *

"Everything alright, Preach?" Auron asked as he came up behind the retired Ranger.

"Just thinkin' back." He replied and stared at the mask in his hand.

"We finally got justice for our families. Alyss took down the person that killed her mom too."

"She had somethin' against 'em too? Poor girl. She got a dad?"

Auron took a deep breath and shook his head. "It was her father that did it."

"Her dad killed her mom? Damn, that has to be tough to deal with."

"He might have been her father by blood, but he was no _dad_ to her. An' yeah, it's tough on her to have to kill him, but she's got Jace with her… they'll help each other through it."

"Y'all are some good kids. You about ready to head inside?"

"Yeah, let's go sit down."

"Just a second," Preacher said and put the mask on the ground. He took a deep breath and stomped down hard with his good leg, shattering the mask to pieces.

"Alright. Let's get inside an' outta this heat."

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: The Crimson Lance are dead and gone now. Auron, Jace, Alyss, and Preacher can be at peace now from what happened to them. Now they can have a much-needed rest before they get on the road to Vale, and that rest will be in the next couple chapters.**

 **The next introduces something that I borrowed from Dongyrn, who borrowed it from l OmegaInfinity l. If you've read their fics, _A Thorny Tangled Triangle_ and _Linked In Life and Love_ respectively, then you'll know what I'm getting at. ****It's something nice.**

 **See you then, and have a nice day!**


	56. Chapter 55: Something More

**Something More**

The week after they returned was a time when everyone could relax. Lyra and April took the three former Crimson Lance soldiers into the city while the others stayed back at the house. Jax hung upside down by his tail in the apple tree and meditated, saying a silent prayer for Auron's father as well. Auron, Raine, Emowyn and Preacher played Rummy with Jace's cards while he and Alyss walked hand in hand around the clearing they were in. SSSN had left earlier after everyone was sure the Lance were no more and the Grimm stopped in their attacks. Alex sat on the porch and relaxed before he went back to work on Connor's ship.

Erron sat on the porch as well and looked over his now-useless rebreather, smiling to himself about what Emowyn had told him of Jace and Alyss. He loved being able to breathe easily for the first time in his life, free of that burden. Alyss had offered to heal him of his lung problems the day after they returned, before even healing her own injury and it had put her to sleep for a full day. Erron would have to find a way to pay her back, but he didn't know how.

Alyss had spent some time every day after that on the roof to work on her tan. When Jace had picked his and Auron's weapon parts up from Savage Arms, she had bought herself a dark-purple bikini and a bottle of lotion for that reason. Jace always stayed with her, sitting cross legged right next to her as he kept her cooled off when she needed it.

He also never complained when she asked him to rub the lotion on her back. He always massaged her back as best as he could and caused very questionable sounds to emit from her that drew questions from the Faunus that sat on the porch at the time. Alyss had also spent a little bit of time healing the large cut on her cheek. Auron had said he would wait on having his healed until she was done with hers, but both had been healed much to Kathy's relief.

"How's the tan coming?" Jace asked Alyss as the two walked slowly in the field.

"I'm getting there, I think," Alyss answered and looked down at her hand, "Maybe a bit more and I'll be happy." Her skin took on a light shade of almond from her efforts.

"You look really good with it already. It'll suck when you're done because I won't get to see you in your bikini for a while." Jace grinned at her.

"Oh don't worry. We'll have the room to ourselves on the ship sometimes you can maybe see more sometime." Alyss said with a smile and winked at him.

"Does that mean I can give you massages and make you moan more?"

"Umm…" Alyss blushed, "Those massages _were_ really nice… so yes."

"That sounds great," Jace said and kissed her cheek, "Okay, so… What did you wanna talk with me about the other day?" He asked as he took on a more serious tone.

Alyss took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "It's… kinda confusing to explain to someone that's not Faunus. I could hardly sleep last night thinking of it."

Jace looked to her and squeezed her hand a bit. "How serious is it, exactly?"

She bit her bottom lip and looked back. " _Very_. Not in a bad way… it's just that I'm _really_ nervous."

Jace leaned down and kissed her as they stopped walking. "You want more time to think about it?"

"I think I can give you a decent description of it. I hope, at least," Alyss replied and tried to swallow the dryness in her throat, "It's just that… you've helped me deal with so much. You helped me deal with the memory of what _he_ did, you helped me deal with my nervousness about initiation, you helped me deal with… mom dying, and you helped me deal with that the other day…"

"You know you've helped me deal with so much too." Jace said and smiled at her.

She smiled back and nodded. "Yeah, it's what you've been saying," She closed her eyes and thought for a second, then she opened them back up and looked into Jace's eyes, "It's something in Faunus nature… kind of an urge or instinct that we have called mating."

Jace took a deep breath and gulped a bit. "This is… kinda off to a _strange_ start." He said quietly.

"Oh Oum this is so weird!" Alyss groaned and shook her head, "Okay, it's like… when two Faunus feel so attracted to each other and they're sure they want to stay with each other they would umm… mark each other. Before that, the girl would have the guy use her shampoo or any product that has a smell to share her scent. That would let other Faunus know that the guy or girl is taken… That's really an unofficial step. Mom always told me that it's important, so I'm gonna say its a pre-step," She bit her lip in nervousness again.

"Then after a while, they would put a mark on the other's shoulder with their aura and they'd be mated. It's called the _Mate's Mark_. So they would be bound together by each other's aura." Alyss tried to explain through her nervousness.

"So…" Jace started nervously, "It's like marriage?" He asked quietly.

She nodded slowly. "In a way, but it's so much more. The main difference is that there would be no _divorce_ because their aura is within each other. Their _souls_ merge together. The first stage of the mark is just a bruise, on the left shoulder and just under the collarbone, signifying that we would be dating. It would fade out over a week unless it's reapplied,"

"The next is where the mark would take shape of a symbol that has great meaning to the person giving the mark. It…" She hesitated before she looked into Jace's reassuring eyes, "It _could_ be broken if the Faunus truly didn't want it anymore, but that would cause a lot of emotional pain for them both. That would mean they're engaged. Then the last stage… the last stage is completely permanent. That would be marriage, and there would be no way to break that bond," She felt a bit of worry in her stomach as she tried to explain it fully.

"For the mark to work, both mates need to have three things. Unshakable trust in each other, deep-seated affection, and mutual respect more than anything." She continued and took another deep breath.

"So if two Faunus had their mark on each other, they'd be together for the rest of their lives? Their souls would be bound together?" Jace asked and Alyss nodded slowly, "And you're bringing it up with me…" He looked to her with happiness building in him.

"I… I wanna be your mate. I want _you_ to be _mine…_ " Alyss answered and waited for his reply as she looked down.

"You really feel that way about me?" He asked and gave a smile.

"Yeah… I really do." She said quietly and raised her vision back up to his face.

"Alyss…" Jace placed his hands on the sides of her head and looked into her emerald and sapphire eyes.

 _"Gods those eyes are so beautiful."_ Jace thought to himself.

They were shining with unshed tears. No sadness was present, only pure happiness of being with him and telling him how she truly felt. Jace leaned in and kissed her, he rubbed her cheeks with his thumbs and ran his index fingers through edge of her hair. Alyss was surprised by the sudden action, but quickly recovered and returned the kiss and wrapped her arms around his shoulders to pull him closer.

From the tree Jax was hanging in, he opened his eye and saw them in the distance. He smiled and went back to his meditation.

After a few more moments, they broke away and looked deep into each others' eyes. "I wanna be your mate too." Jace said and gave the happiest smile he's ever had.

"R-really?" Alyss asked.

Jace nodded and pulled her close to hug her. "There is no doubt in my mind that you were the one I wanted to be with. You _are_ the one… I want to do it. Whenever we get everything straightened out and when everything is fixed in Vale, I really want to do it."

"Oh Gods Jace, I love you." Alyss said and hugged as tight as she could.

"I love you too. Forever and always, my beautiful kitten" Jace replied happily.

They started walking back toward the house to relax on the porch. Jace was still smiling widely as he held Alyss' hand.

"Y'know… I've actually been getting these weird feelings. I think it started a few days after we took the initiation." Jace said and Alyss looked up to him.

"What kind of feeling?" She asked.

"I can't really describe it… it was like some kind of different thing in my mind. Like I just _needed_ to find someone to be with. And after I spent so much time with you before… I wanted it to be you. After what you said about a Faunus' instinct to mate, maybe that was the Faunus DNA in me starting to really turn active or something. "

"It's possible. There's… something you should understand about it, though."

"What is it?"

"It's about the mark… It's really only something Faunus can give. It's in our biology that humans don't have."

"So… we wouldn't be able to do it completely? I can't give you a mark?" Jace asked. Alyss could hear the sadness and disappointment in his voice.

She sighed. "Y-yeah. Since you're a human and I'm Faunus, we wouldn't be able to do it fully…" She felt her eyes sting as she regretted having to tell him, then she thought of something, "But…"

"Hmm?"

"You said that you might've been getting the urges to mate. What if that DNA just completely changed your biology?"

"What if…" Jace stopped and thought about it for a moment. From what he knew, he had every sense that a Faunus had. From what he just talked about with Alyss, he guessed that he was feeling that urge. He tilted his head at the possibilities. Then he started smiling again. "Maybe I could give you a mark after all."

"That's my hope. But for now, I think we should just relax while we can and not think about much of anything until we have to leave."

"It'll probably be in a few days. We do need to get to Vale soon," Jace replied and leaned to kiss her again, "But let's just enjoy the peace while we can."

"And we can relax and you can give me scritches." Alyss said.

"And maybe we can get a bit of alone time in the workshop." Jace suggested.

"Maybe we can."

They stepped onto the porch and sat down onto the swinging bench, then stared out into the field. Jace reached his left hand up and started scratching Alyss' ears. She leaned into his side and purred lightly, enjoying the feeling of being with him. The feeling of his artificial fingernails digging lightly into her scalp between her Faunus ears added to her pleasure immensely.

They sat like that for a full two hours while everyone else did their own thing. Auron looked around the workshop and found a stash of dust whetstones he had, then gave a few of each kind to each of his teammates, minus Jace because he didn't need them. Raine took her time to train more with _Amaranth_ , alongside Emowyn with _Firefly_ while they talked about different things.

Preacher napped soundly in his chair in the house, drowning out any noise around him with his snoring. Alex sat at the table outside and used his jacket as a pillow as he slept, with his sword in its sheath laying next to him. And Kathy worked with preparing a simple dinner for everyone. She also had a large batch of her deer jerky sitting and soaking in sauces.

After another half hour of sitting there, they started a game of cards inside with Auron and Jax. Jax quickly got the hang of the game, having played it a few times long before then. The unluckiest one there was Auron, having only doubles in his hand and just waiting for the right card to use, but it never came.

"Jace, I hate this game, but I love it." He shook his head and shuffled the cards.

Jace laughed. "Yeah, that'll happen."

"Hey Jax." Alyss said and got the tall Ranger's attention.

"Something on your mind?" He asked and looked at her inquisitively.

"Yeah. How would you feel about me trying to heal your eye?" She asked and he tilted his head.

"You'd try even though you barely know me?"

"You helped us when we put an end to the Crimson Lance. I'd like to repay you somehow and you know I already healed Erron's lungs for it."

"She'd offer anyways, even if you just showed up five minutes ago." Auron commented without a glance to her.

"He's right," Jace interjected, "My arm used to have burns all over it. I met Alyss, and after about thirty minutes of helping me shop for clothes, she offered to heal it." He kissed her on the cheek and she gave a smile.

"I would've asked before if we wasn't busy with training and preparing for that fight. Same with Erron. Would you want me to?" She asked Jax again.

"It would be very strange…" Jax placed his finger over his right eye for a moment, then nodded, "Yes, please… I would be grateful. Thank you Alyss."

She smiled and nodded back. "When do you want me to try?"

"Whenever you are available." He answered.

She laughed lightly. "I guess I'm available now."

"You guys can use the couch if ya need to," Auron said and stood up.

"I'll leave you alone to focus," Jace said and kissed Alyss' cheek again, then turned toward Auron, "Wanna keep playing on the porch?" He grabbed his cards and held them in his hand.

"Yeah, maybe I can have some better luck." Auron said and the two walked from the door.

"Hey Alex! Wanna play some cards?" Alyss heard Jace wake his brother up and she grinned.

Preacher had moved to another area of the house that was more quiet to sleep, leaving the living room empty except for Alyss and Jax. The monkey Faunus laid on the couch and removed the bandanna covering his eye as he leaned his head back. Alyss moved a chair next to him and sat in it.

"It could take a few days to do it. I've only ever healed a lost limb or anything like that once. I don't know how long it would take for your eye." Alyss explained and moved her hands to his eye.

"Have you told him?"

The question startled Alyss and she nearly pushed her fingers into his eye and almost fell from the from the chair. "Umm… Y-you know?" She felt her cheeks begin the redden as he nodded.

"Yes, I know. Emowyn and Raine know also. We heard you talk to Jace as we were walking back here. We just knew that you were talking about mating." Jax said quietly so only Alyss could hear him.

"Yeah… I told him. He said he wants to do it after we take back Beacon." She whispered with a smile.

Jax gave a sigh about having to bring up the next question. "You know the risks of mating with a human?"

"Yeah, I know. If it was normal, he wouldn't be able to give me a mark of his own. And I could give him a mark easily. He knows too. But…" Alyss bit her lip in nervousness, "This isn't really a normal situation."

"The Faunus DNA within him now?"

"Yeah. He told me that a few days after our initiation, he said that he started getting these weird feelings. He said he couldn't describe it, but he thinks it might be the instinct to mate because of the DNA."

"That is a very strange situation. And I've seen that you both love each other very much."

"We trust each other a lot too. I trust him with my soul. And there's no one I respect more than him for being able to recover from everything that's happened to him. He's never forced anything on me and I've never forced anything on him. I just know in my heart that he's the one I want to be mated with."

"Just be sure that you would be alone for a bit," Jax goave a grin and a chuckle, "It could be very embarrassing for all parties if someone were to walk in on you."

"Oh? Do you know from experience?" Alyss asked with a raised eyebrow as she held her hand over her shoulder where she felt a pressure.

Jax nodded and pulled his shirt out of the way, revealing a mark in the shape of a darkened circle with four lighter stars in the center on his shoulder. "One of my teammates and her boyfriend walked in on my mate and I while we were trying this in my senior year of Haven. It took a long time to explain to her what we were doing."

"That does sound embarrassing."

"It also added to the embarrassment when we realized what they were there to do. They walked in kissing _very_ heatedly."

"So they wanted some time alone too?" Alyss asked and Jax nodded in amusement at the memory.

Alyss laughed and shook her head. "I guess I should start trying to heal your eye now, right?"

"Yes, that would be best." Jax said with a chuckle.

Alyss grinned and placed her hands over his right eye. "Alright. Try to relax."

* * *

"Hey Auron, we got some trucks pullin' up!" Preacher called from the roof the next day.

"I know!" Auron called back and stood from his seat on the porch.

"How'd you know!?"

"There's three people down here that's got real sensitive hearin'!"

"Speaking of that. Ow," Raine said next to him and flicked her Faunus ears, "I'm going inside before it gets louder."

"Sorry 'bout that." Auron said to her and stood up.

Jace took his hands from over Alyss' ears and shot him a mock glare. "Loudmouth."

Auron rolled his eyes. "Oh shut up." He said and stepped off the porch.

"I'm glad I don't have sensitive hearing like that." Alex said with a grin.

"Oh shut up." The remaining two said to him.

Auron looked to the north and saw several trucks bearing the company name of Savage Arms Industries. Each of the large vehicles stopped near the house and a multitude of workers came out of other smaller trucks.

A smaller man wearing a sleek black suit walked up to Auron and greeted him. "Good evening. I am looking for Auron Karmine." He said and Auron held his hand out.

"That'd be me. Nice to meet you." He said and they shook hands.

"I am Jonathan Eastwood, representative of Savage Arms Industries," He brought out his scroll and pulled up a small list, "You placed a call about weapons you would like to sell, along with scrap metal and… an Atlesian Spider Tank?"

"Yeah, we got all the guns we could find an' put 'em in a pile over here. Put a big tarp over 'em to keep the weather off," Auron led Jonathan around the house to the large pile of weapons, "The scrap metal's over near the tank."

Jonathan looked to the right, away from the weapons, and went wide-eyed at seeing the black and red machine. "How is it you came across these?" He asked nervously.

"We had to deal with a lot of stuff like Crimson Lance attackin' the house. Grimm too. The police chief said that he was tired of havin' to send trucks here to pick up the scraps so he decided to let us keep 'em, along with the weapons an' the tank."

"Well… I suppose we will get these loaded in the trucks then…" Jonathan said and went back to the workers.

He turned back to Auron for a moment. "You may have to bring the tank yourself."

"Will do." Auron replied and walked toward it.

Jonathan arrived back at the trucks and addressed the workers while Alex, Alyss, and Jace sat on the porch.

"So Genesis gave you his sword when he died?" Alex asked Jace.

He nodded in confirmation. "It has the last of his aura in it. That's why I'm really wanting to get it back."

"They both sound like great family. I would've liked to meet them."

"I'm sure they'd like to meet you too. My motorcycle was his, too. He restored it himself."

"Man, you really turned your life around after all of that." Alex said with a smile. He left the two alone as he went to look through the weapons before they were all taken up.

"How's it coming along with Jax's eye?" Jace asked Alyss.

"It's going good. He said he feels a pressure there, like with Yang's arm. Since it's a smaller area to work with, it shouldn't take as long as it did with her arm, but I don't know. I know it's already taking longer than Erron's lungs since that was repairing them basically. With Jax's eye… it's just not there."

Jace _hummed_. "The pre-stage of mating is the scent, right?" He asked quietly.

"Yeah, it is. Why?" Alyss asked and glanced at him.

"Because… I figured that whenever I take a shower, I can use that wild-cherry scented shampoo you've been using. The kind you keep getting now."

She looked to him with a light in her eyes. "You already want to share my scent?"

Jace nodded and opened his mouth to speak, but a startled shout from one of the workers drew his attention to them. Jace saw one of them pointing and he followed the finger, then saw the Spider Tank being brought around the house. The representative calmed the workers down and assured them that nothing would happen. Some of them worked with loading the tank into the back of one of the larger trucks while the rest went to gather the weapons and metal scraps up.

Jace turned his attention back to his girlfriend and smiled. "Yeah, I'd like to do that. From what I know, everyone has their own scent anyway, right? So I'd say ours would be pretty well blended together already. It'll solidify the fact that we're together."

"That's… a really good point," Alyss said, "I never thought of that and _I'm_ the Faunus here."

"I'm just making a guess really. I'll share the shampoo either way if it's what we need to do. Plus I really love the smell." Jace said and she gave him a tight hug.

"Okay, I'm gonna go take a shower and use it first. Then while I work with Jax's eye, you can go." She smiled and jumped to her feet, then gave Jace a deep and loving kiss.

"I love you so much, Jace."

"I love you too, kitten." Jace said and Alyss went into the house.

He leaned back in the bench he sat in and smiled. He knew that this was what that feeling is now, the urge to mate. He never directly paid much attention to it when he first started feeling it, thinking that it was just what he felt for Alyss back then. But now he guessed what it was and he was happy. It's something he truly wanted with Alyss, to be mated with her and to be together for the rest of his life.

 _"Gods, what would Genesis think of that?"_ He thought to himself with a grin.

Probably something along the lines of, _"I hear what I want to hear, don't worry."_

Before he wanted to try the mark though, there was one thing to fix.

Beacon.

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: Way later than usual, sorry. I got a bit carried away with playing Donkey Kong Country 2.**

 **This'll be the last time they can relax for awhile, so they're making good use of it. Strange things are ahead.**

 **Mating and the mark. That's what I borrowed from Dongyrn and Omega. It's something that I really enjoy and I love the idea of it. If you want to, check out their fics. Just a reminder, I put the titles of them in the notes of the last chapter. They're awesome stories that I really enjoy.**

 **See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	57. Chapter 56: Strange Indeed

**Strange Indeed**

Jace woke up that night from discomfort. It wasn't from holding his would-be mate in his arms. No, definitely not. He would hold her even if his arms were in severe pain, but that wasn't the problem. It was from something on the top of his head hitting the pillow the wrong way. He took his left arm from around Alyss and reached up to rub his head, then he froze as he felt something that in all logic should not be there.

He rose himself up from the guest bed the two shared and walked through the house to the bathroom, wondering just what in the hell he felt. He stepped inside and shut the door, not bothering to turn the light on since he didn't need it. He looked in the mirror and went wide-eyed. Maybe he did need the light, because what he saw couldn't be real. He flipped the light on and looked again to the top of his head. He had two large lumps there, both in the exact same positions as Alyss cat ears on her head.

"W-what the fuck?" He asked himself before a knock on the door startled him.

"Is someone in there?" He heard Jax ask.

"Y-yeah, hold on a second, please." Jace said and glanced at himself in the mirror again, "How in the hell?" He muttered to himself.

He opened the door, hoping that Jax wouldn't notice the two lumps on his head. He just needed to sleep. "Jace, is something the matter?" Jax asked after hearing his muttered curse. His gaze locked on the top of Jace's head, confusion setting in his mind.

Jace saw where his eyes were going and sighed. "Please don't ask me what this is… I have no idea."

"From the looks of it, you may be growing a set of animal ears. How it is possible or what kind they are, I would have no idea as well. For the moment at least," Jax spoke silently, "I believe you need to rest… you should discuss this with your team in the morning."

Jace nodded and went back to the guest room. Jax stared after him and shook his head.

"A very strange situation, indeed."

Jace settled back into the bed with Alyss, lightly wrapping his arms back around her from behind. He let out a long breath as he tried to get comfortable again, which was easier said than done with how much discomfort he felt when the lumps pressed against the pillow.

"Everything okay, sweetie?" Alyss asked tiredly, sensing that something was bothering him.

"I didn't wake you, did I?" Jace asked silently.

"No… Kinda, I guess. When you got out of bed."

"Sorry, kitten."

"It's okay. What's bothering you?"

"I…" Jace hesitated, "I don't know really. I'll tell you in the morning with the others, okay?"

Alyss _hummed_ and pressed her back against him, the feeling calming Jace's mind. "Okay. Goodnight, dear."

"Goodnight, kitten."

* * *

Jace and Alyss sat outside on the porch the next morning while they waited for the others to wake up. Jace had his arms crossed and Alyss had her hand on his thigh, both equally confused. Jace had explained to her what he could, which wasn't a lot. They had waited for nearly an hour until their teammates walked out onto the porch.

"You two are up early. What's the reason… for… What?" Raine stopped speaking when she looked at the top of Jace's head.

"I'm just gonna sit down," Auron said, "I can already tell this'll be confusin'."

"I… I don't know what's going on," Jace said, "I have no idea."

"So, do you have any _small_ amount of an idea of what's happening to your head?" Raine asked.

"I might be growing ears."

"Good Oum…" Auron sighed, "It just got real confusin'."

"What if they _are_ ears?" Alyss asked calmly.

"If they are… I'm not gonna lie, I'd be pretty excited," Jace replied, "The only reasons I hate it are that I don't know how or why and that I could hardly sleep because of how uncomfortable it is when they press against something."

"So you don't know how or why?" Raine asked and Jace nodded, "At least we have a bit of peace and quiet to think about it."

For a few minutes, they each tried to think of how Jace was in this position. Auron couldn't think of any reason at all. He had always said he wasn't the smartest outside of combat. Jace couldn't even think right from lack of sleep due to discomfort. Raine couldn't come up with anything as she rubbed her own fox ears in confusion.

Alyss came up with something that should have been simple to realize from the start. "What about your Faunus DNA?"

"The DNA?" Jace echoed, "I know I have the senses and stuff, but can it really do this?" He asked and felt the top of his head, wincing in discomfort as he pressed one of the lumps.

"Makes sense, don't it?" Auron said, "You got the senses already. Maybe it's just your actual body startin' to do somethin' with it."

"Y'know what… I'll go with that. I'm tired of thinking on it." Jace said.

Raine sighed and rested her chin in her palm. "Since we have that kinda figured out, I wonder what kind they are."

"Fuck it," Jace shook his head with a sigh, "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. I'm done thinking for the day."

Everyone agreed to rest and let the matter rise again when the ears grew. _If_ they actually grew. Jace groaned. This was time to be used relaxing while he could, not thinking about how or why he was growing a new set of damn ears.

He knew what the day would be and he accepted that. He decided he should just call Sun and tell him. He didn't know when he'd see the monkey Faunus again, so he could just get that out of the way. If he could, he'd call everyone else as well, but that was impossible since not all CCT towers were active.

It was going to be a long day.

* * *

"Hello, Smoke. It's probably weird seeing me here instead of Auron," Jace said as he stood at the fallen gunslinger's grave the next morning. The lumps had grown a bit in the last day, and they were actually becoming a bit less uncomfortable for him, "I just want to say that you raised a great friend. He fights really good and he's had my back since we took our initiation. He jokes around and teases me and Alyss and he's just great to be around, really. I know it's been hard on him lately with what happened to you and Pyrrha. Being here really helped him get back to his old self,"

"It's been hard on me too with waking up from a coma to find out the aftermath of what happened. He told my dad and brother that he'd watch my back and I want to tell you that I'll watch his too. I hope you can be at peace now that Hawk and the Crimson Lance are gone, just like I hope my dad and brother can. If you see them, tell them I miss them."

Jace finished and held his head down in silence for a few moments. He raised his head back up as he turned around, then he saw Kathy standing behind him with tears in her eyes. "Good morning, Kathy."

"Good morning," She replied and stepped up to the grave, "I heard what you said to Jeff. It was kind of you."

"Yeah… I kinda felt like I had to say something while I'm here. Auron told our team about what you guys went through here… I'm sorry you guys had to deal with them."

"He told me what you and Alyss had to go through because of them too. I'm glad you didn't let it keep you down," Kathy wiped at her eyes and read the words on the headstone, "Those words can fit with you and your family too. You've found your own way through everything and you found a girl to love…" She smiled as she looked back up to Jace, "That reminds me so much of Jeff. He went through a bad situation in Shade and he just left for Mistral. Then he got back up on his feet and I met him at a little coffee shop at the docks. Then we got married and Gail was born. Then Auron was born and they both grew up to be such good people. Auron has a good team and even better friends."

"Thanks… I'd like to think of him as family, too. My team and my brother are my only family left… You guys raised him well."

"Thank you. We always did our best… I'm glad someone else thinks so."

"I know you hate cursing, so forgive me for saying this… I told him and all of our friends that I'd follow them through the high heavens to the burning hells if I had to. I'll always have his back."

Kathy smiled and laughed a bit. "I think I can forgive you for that just this once. I'm sure Jeff appreciates it too."

Jace smiled back and looked up to the sky. "I'll do everything in my power to help him get _Jackhammer_ back too. I have my brother's sword to get back from Beacon… I know what he's feeling with that."

"He told me about that, too…" The aging woman replied and moved to wrap Jace in a hug, "Please keep him out of trouble and make sure he doesn't do anything too dangerous. I know you're going to Vale next… Just be careful, all of you."

Jace hugged her back and nodded. "I promise we'll be careful. We have way too much on the line to get hurt."

* * *

Two days later in the morning, Jace and everyone else sat on the front porch to discuss what was going on with his head. Alyss lightly rubbed Jace's hand with her thumb as she looked up to the fully-formed cat ears. Both were dark-red fur, just a bit longer than Alyss'. When Jace saw them in the mirror, he immediately knew where the color came from.

"You actually grew a set of cat ears." Alex echoed again for the third time.

"Yep." Jace replied, his ears flicking uncontrollably in the breeze.

"Do you have any control over them?" Emowyn asked.

Jace nodded. "When the wind doesn't bother them."

"By all logic, you should get used to that," Raine said as she moved her own ears around, "It happens for Faunus children to not be able to keep their ears from twitching in light breezes. Well, you're not a kid, but I guess you'd just need time."

"I remember mom helping mine with blowing on them every so often." Alyss said.

"Maybe on the way to Vale you can do that for me." Jace suggested.

"It'll get annoying on the ship," Emowyn warned, "Trust me, I know. I'm sure Raine and Alyss do too. With the constant wind on the ocean, it would probably be best for you to stay inside most of the time. If they flick like that too much, it'll get uncomfortable."

"At least it doesn't hurt when I touch them now," Jace let out a short laugh. "I'm glad there are three Faunus here to explain this to me."

"What do you two think about it?" Auron asked Kathy and Preacher.

Preacher was at a loss for words at the situation. "I honestly can't tell ya anything. This is the first time this ever happened to anyone an' I've been alive for about sixty years."

"Well… it was the first time people were kidnapped and used like that I'm sure…" Jace shook his head, "Thank Oum that can't happen again."

"It's… confusing to say the least," Kathy said, "I don't mind it though. You both match even more now." She smiled at the two lovers.

"You are not wrong about that," Jax agreed with her, "I mean nothing disrespectful by this, but you are a product of this world's evils…" He said to Jace, "As in you _were_ used for someone else's design. You have grown a set of cat ears because of the Faunus DNA unnaturally inside of you. You have every sense and I am assuming every instinct a Faunus possesses. My thoughts are that your body believes you are a Faunus yourself, and it is changing what it sees fit to make it look like it on the outside."

"So…" Jace scratched his head in confusion, "I'm basically no longer a human… but I'm a Faunus? Not just part Faunus?"

"That's what I believe." Jax replied in a softer voice.

"I…" Jace sighed, "I just… I wish that I would've been born Faunus, then."

"Hey," Alyss said and he looked at her, "You know we don't care that you grew ears."

"Well, we _do_ care, but not in a bad way," Auron said, "You just need to get used to 'em."

"I have… cat ears," Jace repeated, "I don't have a problem that I have them, just how I got them."

"And that's okay," Kathy said in a reassuring voice, "You've been through so much, all of us know that. This is like what you had to deal with with the dust and with your prosthetic. It's new and it's not natural," She gave him a soft smile, "You've dealt with this before. You just have to deal with it like you have before."

Jace nodded slowly and took a deep breath. Alyss kissed him on the cheek and smiled. "She's right. You can deal with it like you always have."

"Okay… Okay. Yeah. I can deal with this," Jace nodded and pecked Alyss on the lips, then he nodded to Kathy, "Okay, now there's the question of why cat ears."

"Now that, I can think of one reason." Erron broke his silence on the situation, having observed the small interactions Jace and Alyss had shared over the past few days.

"Let's hear it. Ain't no one else got anything." Preacher said.

"Jace, you've spent most of your time with Alyss, right?" Erron asked and Jace nodded quickly, "From being partners with Emowyn, I've learned a bit about Faunus. Each one has a different scent, and all humans have different scents to them too. You've been spending basically all of your time with Alyss, and cat Faunus have a certain scent as well but all are still distinct from one another. Your sense of smell had to have been picking up on Alyss'. I think that your Faunus DNA reacted to that scent, knowing it was a cat Faunus."

"So you're saying that since he's been with Alyss mostly, then his DNA thinks he's a cat Faunus himself?" Raine asked, "And he's growing the ears to fit?"

"Like Auron said before. It makes the most sense doesn't it?" Alyss said.

"I guess it would… I _have_ been liking fish a lot more lately," Jace replied and leaned his head back, "I'm gonna have a _great_ time explaining this to everyone." He groaned.

"We can all just take turns explainin' it for ya. We ain't leavin' ya to do it yourself." Auron assured him with a grin.

Jace smiled and nodded. "And I appreciate it. I'm a cat Faunus because Alyss is a cat Faunus… I'll be sure to say that first."

"Good luck with all o' that. I'm goin' inside an' layin' down". Preacher said with a laugh and went inside.

* * *

"Is she gonna be alright?" Kathy asked in worry at seeing Alyss still asleep.

After a week of trying, she was able to heal Jax's eye. He wanted to thank her, but she had been asleep since she healed it. Jax, Kathy, Emowyn and Preacher looked at her in worry. Erron had left the day before to take care of business in the city.

"Yeah, she'll be okay. There's no telling when she'll wake up, but it'll be fine." Jace assured them.

"I want to thank her. She is a good person…" Jax said and smiled. He moved his eye around and blinked, trying to get used to seeing with it again. He couldn't remember the last time he had been able to, "She didn't even have to heal the scar…"

"She really is." Raine agreed and looked toward the sleeping girl.

"An' y'all's about ready to head out?" Preacher asked them.

Auron nodded. "Yeah, we gotta get goin'. The sooner we can take back Beacon, the sooner I'm gettin' _Jackhammer_ back for us."

There was a knock on the door and Kathy went to answer it. "Hello ma'am. Mrs. Karmine I presume?" It was the Savage Arms representative.

"Yes, I am."

"May I speak with Auron?" He asked.

She nodded and turned toward the living room. "Auron, it's the man from Savage Arms." She said and he quickly walked over.

"Hey, how're you doin' sir?" Auron greeted and shook his hand.

"I'm well, thank you," Jonathan said and reached into his suit. He pulled out a piece of paper.

"This contains your pay for the weapons, scrap metal, and the tank. Take that to a bank and they will pay you that amount." He handed Auron the paper and nodded.

"Thank you sir. Is that all?"

"That would be it. Have a good day, and do be careful." Jonathan said and turned to leave.

"You too." Auron said to him and walked back inside.

"So, how much we get?" Preacher asked excitedly.

"Preacher, you ain't usin' it to get stuff for your devil coffee." Auron said and grinned at the old man.

"Devil coffee? You're just mad you can't handle it." Preacher replied and took a drink from the flask.

"Whatever. I'd like to see you eat a whole ghost pepper." Auron laughed at the look on Preacher's face.

"No. Just… no." Preacher replied and took another drink.

"That's what I thought," Auron said and unfolded the paper, then went wide-eyed at what was on it, "Damn…"

"Auron!" Kathy admonished him.

"Sorry mom. It's just… Dust, that's somethin'." Auron said and looked in disbelief at the paper.

"Well, what's on it?" Jace asked.

"We got a hundred thousand lien for all the weapons…"

"What!?" Both Kathy and Preacher exclaimed in shock.

"Fifty thousand for the ruined weapons. A hundred an' fifty thousand for the Paladin an' Spider Tank scraps."

"Oum almighty…" Preacher said lowly.

"And… six hundred thousand for the fully functional Spider Tank."

"Nine hundred thousand for everything?" Kathy said in shock, "Oh my…"

"Jace, good call on not destroyin' that tank." Auron said to his part-Faunus… or now full-Faunus leader.

"I just thought it'd help us in the fight, but Oum I'm glad it'll help you guys." Jace responded.

"I just wish I got here sooner so I could use it." Alex remarked from the side.

"You would've had to fight Nora over it." Raine said with a grin.

Auron handed the paper to his mother and she looked it over to make sure Auron read it right. And he did.

"Well, with that, I think we should go." Jace said and picked Alyss up off the couch.

"Maybe we _should_ before Preacher has a heart attack on me," Auron said with a chuckle, "Or before I get one."

Kathy stepped forward and hugged Auron tightly. "It was nice to have you back here."

"Yeah, but I gotta go. Thanks for makin' all that jerky," Auron said and hugged back with tears in his eyes, "Dust, I hate goodbyes."

"Be safe, Auron. Just remember that Jeff is still watching you."

"He left me his semblance. I'll make sure he didn't waste it on me."

He stepped away from his mother and gave Preacher a strong hug as well. "See ya around, old man."

"You too, bud. If I had my leg, I'd be right over there with ya."

"I know ya would, Preach."

They stepped away from each other as Jax walked up to Jace. He put his hand on the teen's shoulder and smiled. He leaned in close and whispered in Jace's ear. "I wish you both a happy life."

Jace felt a smile cross over his face as he looked at the large Faunus. "I take it you know?" He asked quietly.

Jax nodded and smiled.

"Thanks, Jax," Jace said and turned to the others in the room, "It was nice to meet you all."

"You too, Jace. All of you look after Auron, please." Kathy said with a smile.

"We will. Don't worry. And thanks for teaching him how to cook." Jace grinned.

She smiled. "It's good that he has a team to appreciate it."

"Raine, you didn't think you could leave without giving your big sister a hug, did you?"

Raine turned and smiled at the fox Faunus that stepped through the doorway. She quickly walked over and hugged Emowyn. "It was good to see you again, sis."

"You too, Raine. Be safe in Vale." Emowyn said and hugged her little sister tightly.

"I will. We have each others' backs, so we'll be alright."

"Good. I love you, sis."

"Love you too, Em."

* * *

Jace placed Alyss in the passenger seat of the truck and kissed her on the forehead. He shut the door lightly and turned to wave at those on the porch. They waved back, then Jace addressed his teammates and brother.

"Next stop is Vale. Let's take our home back."

"Damn right." Auron agreed and stepped in his truck after he waved to the others.

"And your weapons." Raine said with a smile.

"Damn right." Both Jace and Auron said at the same time.

"I'll be there for backup. I got your back." Alex said and patted Jace on the shoulder.

Jace stepped over to _Titan_ and put _Legacy_ into its right compartment, then closed it up. He checked the other side to make sure _Twin Fang_ and _Carnage_ were there, and he saw that they were. He retrieved his helmet and shook his head.

"I'm gonna have to buy a new helmet. We're stopping at an auto part store." He said to the others and they agreed.

He strapped it on the best he could and hopped onto _Titan_. Raine and Alex jumped into the back of Auron's truck.

Jace and Auron started the engines of their vehicles and drove from the house for what could possibly be the final time, although no one wanted to acknowledge the fact that this could be the last thing they do.

* * *

Kathy and Preacher had tears in their eyes as Auron departed. They waved once more and went inside the house. Emowyn and Jax stayed outside for a few minutes in silence.

"So… they're actually doing it?" Emowyn asked with a grin.

Jax nodded and smiled. "Yes, it appears that Jace carries her scent now."

"Cherry… it confused me when I first smelled it earlier, then it hit me."

"They appear to care a great deal for each other. And they both know the risk."

"Yeah, I figured she would and that she'd tell him."

"Hmm," Jax hummed and closed his eyes for a moment. He reached out with his aura to find his mate's in the city, then smiled when she met his halfway. He felt her feeling of love for him and smiled wider.

"It is a different situation for them both, due to Jace's DNA being fused with a Faunus', and they acknowledge that as well. With those ears he grew, it is an even stranger situation," Jax said and saw the vehicles disappear in the distance, "I have a feeling those two share a bond that can cut through the fires of hell."

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: Strange indeed. Jace grew a set of cat ears. He doesn't know how to make heads or tails of it, but it can't be helped. Interesting developments for sure.**

 **See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	58. Chapter 57: No Turning Back

**No Turning Back**

Jace and Auron parked their vehicles on Connor's ship and Jace stepped off his motorcycle and stowed his new helmet in its case with Alyss'. Connor came up to them wearing a small grin on his face, not noticing Jace's ears. "Three months an' no calls? I'm beginnin' to think I ain't loved." He said jokingly.

"Well, three months of havin' to deal with Grimm an' Crimson Lance can take a while." Auron remarked.

Connor nodded and looked over to Jace. "Nice earring… What the hell?"

"That makes four," Jace said and sighed, "The Faunus DNA. I've been around Alyss a lot and it reacted to her scent. I'm a cat Faunus because she's a cat Faunus. That's all I can say."

"Fuckin' hell… Go out as a human, come back a cat Faunus. That ain't what I expected."

"Same here, trust me."

"So… your grew ears because o' that DNA… Have fun with all the racists."

"I'm gonna try to be like Alyss with it, but that's doubtful." Jace said and went toward the truck.

"An' I thought I told you to check up on 'em?" Connor said to Alex, "Not get outta work."

Alex shrugged. "What? I was helping them and catching up with my brother."

"I guess that's a good reason," Connor said with a grin, then he looked back to the others, "Did ya bring 'em down?"

Jace opened the door of Auron's truck and picked Alyss up in his arms. "Yeah, they're gone."

Connor regarded Alyss with an amused expression. "The hell happened to her? Heal someone else's arm?"

"Someone's eye. He helped us take the Lance down."

"Well, get her to a bed, then I want ya to tell me what happened."

* * *

Jace made sure Alyss was alright in her bed before he went outside. He smiled and kissed her on the forehead, then walked from the room. He stepped outside and his ears started twitching in the wind off the ocean. He sighed at that. _"I can't wait until they're used to this."_ He thought to himself.

He went to sit on a bench at the edge of the ship for a while, thinking about what will happen as he listened to his music and looked up at the stars. RNJR were most likely more than halfway to Atlas right now, and Blake and Yang would be halfway to Vale.

 _"Well it'll be real fun to explain this to Blake,"_ He mused with a bit of a laugh, _"Same with Ruby and Yang and APCT."_

He guessed that nothing would've happened with them other than possibly fighting off aquatic Grimm. Now that the Crimson Lance are gone, his team is finally on their own way back to Vale. When they arrive, it would just be more waiting for the others to return from Atlas.

Jace sighed and thought about Emerald. She had given them valuable information, they knew Cinder and Adam were in Vale and now Hawk was gone with her help. Jace still didn't know whether to forgive her or not, but he wanted to help her either way now. He wanted to give her a chance.

"Hey… care if I sit with you?" Jace heard a voice behind him. It sounded tired, with a monotonous and disinterested tone to it.

Jace turned and noticed a person walking up to him wearing a pair of blue jeans and a gray jacket with a tired look in his hazel eyes. He had short, light-brown hair with a white streak going down one side of his head past his ear.

"I don't mind." Jace replied and the man sat down.

"My name's Harley… but people tend to call me Slowbro… You can call me the same, I guess," He yawned and closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them up again, "What's your name?" He asked tiredly.

"It's Jace. Can't sleep?"

"No… I could sleep if I wanted to… I just like being out here for a bit at night…"

"Why are you so tired then?"

"Well, some Faunus take a tail or ears or horns from their animal counterparts… but I'm a sloth Faunus… I'm always tired."

"I never met a sloth Faunus before," Jace remarked, "And I thought that Faunus are supposed to have visible traits."

"I'm just special I guess."

Jace laughed a bit. "We have a friend that has both cat ears and a tail. I guess I shouldn't be surprised."

"Wait how could you not know? You're a Faunus… _Ooohhh_ …" Understanding dawned in Slowbro's tired eyes, "You're the human that was experimented on…"

"Yeah. My body reacted to the Faunus DNA and now I have cat ears because of how long I spent with my girlfriend. Confusing as hell."

"Hmm… Makes sense. Fuck it… I'm just gonna say you're a Faunus so it's not confusing. Easier that way," Slowbro yawned and shook his head, "Y'know, I met a Huntsman before with the worst passive semblance ever…" He said with a grin, "He was so unbalanced with walking it was like he was always drunk."

"A semblance that makes him unbalanced? How would he fight?" Jace asked in disbelieving humor.

"I actually saw him fight and it was pretty impressive. He'd fall backwards out of balance and rolled back to his feet. Then if he started losing it again, he would throw his leg out and spin around to throw a kick and keep his balance at the same time. It was damn awesome."

"I wouldn't mind seeing that." Jace remarked.

"So… what brings you out here?" Slowbro asked.

"Just thinking about what's about to happen."

"Ah… with the whole, ' _Cinder's a bitch that needs to be_ _stopped_ ', thing?"

Jace let out a chuckle at his wording. "Yeah, that."

"I just wouldn't think about it 'till you get there. Live slow… die whenever is what I say."

"That's a good way to look at all this, I guess."

"Plus… you can't be filling your friends or your mate with worry."

"You know about us too?" Jace asked in shock.

"Hey… I might be a sloth… but I smell the scent you two share," Slowbro gave a tired and toothy smile, "You both have all the things it takes?"

"Yeah, I think we do. Ever since I met her last year, I've felt something for her. I love her with every bit of myself for helping me deal with everything that's happened to me. I respect her the most out of anyone for being able to ignore all the hate that the Faunus get. And I trust her with my life and soul."

"Hey… you don't have to get all sappy… I just asked if you had the stuff you need… but that's good to hear."

"I can't help it if it's true," Jace grinned, "I think I'm gonna head inside now, it was nice to meet you, Slowbro. Take it easy."

"I always do… Later."

* * *

"Hey Alex, come with me for a few minutes." Jace requested of his brother.

"Sure." Alex said and the two walked along the side of the ship.

"How's your ears doing?" Alex asked.

"I think they're getting there," Jace replied, "Still a bit twitchy, but not as bad as before."

"Good to hear. I don't guess you'd want to deal with that when we take Beacon."

"We?"

"You're damn right, _we_. I got your back."

"And I'll be glad to fight with you," Jace grinned, "You didn't find anything you wanted out of that pile of guns, did you?"

"No. I was hoping for something I could use with _Celosia_ up close, but there was nothing there I thought I could use." Alex replied.

"Isn't _Celosia_ another word for burning?"

"Mistralian. It's a type of plant somewhere too. It's named celosia because of how it looks burned."

"That's actually pretty clever."

"Thanks. So, why are you dragging me along with you?"

"I bought something when we were on Patch that you might be able to use. I don't even know why I got it. That's the magic of discounts I guess."

They arrived at the vehicles after a few moments and Jace walked to Auron's truck. He opened the passenger door and reached to the floorboard. He retrieved the item and closed the door, then he held it out to Alex. It was a simple, triple barrel sawed-off shotgun with a holster specially made for it. Alex took hold of it and grinned.

"A triple barrel? And I can have this?" He asked and Jace nodded, "Sweet. It'll be weird with the three triggers, but I like it. Happy late-birthday to me."

"When was it?" Jace asked.

"August the fifth."

"Happy birthday, then," Jace said with a grin, "I have some spare shells you can have for it too."

"Sweet, this gets better and better!"

* * *

"Well would you look at that. It only took a few days this time." Jace remarked and sat next to Alyss.

"A few days? How much did I miss?" Alyss asked and sat up in the bed.

"Nothing really. Jax said thanks, by the way."

"So he can see out of his eye now? That's good. I'm glad I could help. How's your ears?"

"Getting more used to the wind. I had to buy a new helmet, but I don't mind."

"It's good you're getting used to it all. They're pretty cute."

Jace laughed. "So are yours."

"We can have scritching sessions sometimes. If your ears are sensitive like that." Alyss smiled at him.

"Sometime, yeah. I won't mind." Jace smiled back as he looked forward to it.

"So, nothing happened?"

"Well, I met a Faunus the night we left Mistral. He's a sloth Faunus and his nickname's Slowbro." Jace told her with a smile.

"Is he on the ship?"

"Yeah, he's a crewman. Connor said he keeps him around because he made fast friends with everyone, even if they had any problems with Faunus. His attitude keeps their morale up."

"That's nice of him then. Can we go for a walk?"

"Sure, I guess you don't want to stay in this small room all day, do you?"

"No, I have to stretch my legs." Alyss went to stand after focusing her semblance to her legs.

The two stepped out of the room and went outside. Jace threaded his fingers through hers and they walked along the edge of the ship.

Alyss looked up to Jace's ears and grinned. "Yeah. They're twitching less than when they first fully grew."

Jace nodded. "Slowbro had some interesting words of advice."

"What would that be?"

"Live slow, die whenever."

"Really? That's… something."

"He said not to worry about what's coming until it's here, so I'm gonna try not to."

"That sounds like pretty good advice."

"Yeah, I know," Jace said and grinned, "Y'know, I really wanted it to end up like when you woke up from healing Yang's arm." He said to her.

"Really? I suppose we could ask Auron and Raine to give us some alone time in our room later." Alyss said with a wide smile and a bit of desire in her voice

"Maybe we should. We _do_ need to get it out of our systems before we get to Vale." Jace said and matched the smile.

"And that's a whole month away." Alyss added.

"Yes it is. And I'm looking forward to it."

They walked on and caught sight of Auron standing next to his truck, facing the sea and looking at his armguard. He held it in his hands and had the shield extended as he looked at his father's emblem.

"Hey Auron." Alyss greeted him, all traces of desire gone from her voice at seeing his expression.

"You have a nice nap?" Auron asked her as he took his eyes from the shield.

"Kinda. I didn't get to walk around for a few days though."

"Better to be out than cooped up inside the ship anyway." Jace remarked.

Alyss giggled. "Sure. You say that now, but wait until we go back inside."

"Alright, children. Don't get carried away." Auron laughed and shook his head at them.

"She's not wrong, though." Jace said with a grin.

"So, why are you looking like you're missing something?" Alyss asked the gunslinger.

"Just thinkin' back to my dad an' Pyrrha. Back to my time in Sanctum. Back before the tournament. I miss it." Auron answered.

"I know how you feel," Jace said and stood next to him, "I miss it too. I miss training with Gen and I miss the time when we could all just sit back in our room, waiting to go to lunch with the others and waiting until we could actually start class."

"Yeah, and I miss when me and mom always stayed up late and watched these action and adventure and romance shows. I miss when mom always scritched my ears and cheered me up when one of my favorite characters died… I just miss spending time with her." Alyss stated and leaned next to Jace.

"All this shit… it just happened way too fast. Too many people got hurt." Auron sighed and looked to the sky.

"It really did. But we can't change it. And we shouldn't keep our minds on if even if we can't help it." Jace said.

"I know… That's why I'm tryin' to focus on the good."

They stood and looked at the sparkling waters for half an hour until the sun went down. Auron put his armguard on and went to sit on a bench while Jace and Alyss went back inside the ship. They went to their room and laid in bed. They wrapped their arms around each other and were just content with laying there for the moment.

"So, can you tell me anything else about the mark?" Jace asked.

"Hmm… there's a couple more things that you should know I guess." She answered and gave a smile.

"Things like what?"

"Well, first of all, can I see your teeth?"

"My teeth?" Jace asked in confusion.

"Yeah. Since a lot of Faunus have sharper canines than humans, I wanted to see if yours might have grown with your DNA like your ears." Alyss explained and Jace tilted his head a bit.

"Alright, I guess that could make sense." He said and opened his mouth wide.

Alyss looked into Jace's mouth. Sure enough, his canines were as sharp looking as hers. "Yeah, they've grown."

"Well when the hell did that happen? You'd think it would be painful like the ears."

"Maybe when you were in a coma? Anyways, that should make things a bit easier when we try."

"Easier like how?"

"The mark is basically a bite, and there might be some blood drawn. Most likely, really. If your body accepts my aura, the bruise that the bite will leave will take longer to heal."

"So we have to basically bite each others' shoulder and pulse our aura into the bite?" Jace asked to make sure.

"That's pretty much it. Umm…" Alyss grew nervous and she felt heat rise to her cheeks, "I've read that the _most_ effective way to make sure the mark takes is in a, umm… well… In the heat of passion."

"Heat of passion… You mean…"

"Sex, yeah."

"Oh…" Jace could feel his cheeks getting hot and put ice dust to them to cool off. It didn't help. "Well… I can't wait, then. I'm glad to have you be my first." He said and kissed her on the lips.

"I'm glad you'll be mine, too. Mom kinda danced around that part whenever she explained it to me when I was younger," Alyss laughed a bit and shook her head, "Makes sense. I don't think anyone would want to imagine their kids doing stuff like this…" She said and started kissing around Jace's neck.

Jace moaned a bit in pleasure and started scritching her ears. "The whole month of doing this… Gods thank you."

* * *

"Hey you four! Listen up!" Connor called from the window of the bridge.

"We'll be in Vale in a few more days."

He disappeared back into the bridge and the four teammates looked to each other. "It's about that time, ain't it?" Auron asked and took a deep breath. He unconsciously extended his shield and made the emblem flare brightly as he looked past the front of the ship. He looked over his own black-clad body and remembered why he mostly wore that color. For anyone that has been beaten down and who has had their families torn from them. For the mourning of lives that had been taken in Vale on that night, and lives that could have been. But the red and gold, that was for his long-time friend that had been taken too soon.

"Yeah, it is. No turning back now." Jace said and brought his earphones out. He put the buds in his human ears and put his music on shuffle. The song that went through his unnaturally-sensitive hearing made him sigh at how much it was similar to him after he woke up in that hospital in Vale.

 _'On this day, it's so real to me, e_ _verything has come to life._ _Another chance to chase a dream._ _Another chance to feel, c_ _hance to feel alive.'_

"Like we would anyways," Raine said with a grin, "It's our home. I'd do anything to take it back." She thought to all the friends she made in the Rangers. She was a second year initiate to them all. She wanted to prove that she wasn't just there because of her family's name. She wanted to prove herself to them all, even though they all knew she belonged there. She wanted to prove herself to one particular Faunus. She took her sword from her rifle and ran her fingers along the pendant that was attached to the crossguard.

"We didn't come this far just to come this far," Alyss said and smiled, "We need to see this through." She held Jace's hand as tight as ever as she thought back to her mother. The mother that had taught her compassion for others, human and Faunus equally. The mother that protected her from the monster that threatened to take her pride. The mother that was taken from her so quickly.

They all nodded in agreement and looked out in front of the ship, toward Vale.

"We have a bit of our families to get back too." Jace said to Auron.

"That, we do." He replied and took another deep breath.

"Hey Jace," Alyss said and got his attention, "Before everything starts, I want to go back to my house for a bit."

"Alright. We can do that. Why?"

"If… If mom's still there… I want to take her to a priest."

"To bury her when things are better?" Jace asked softy.

She nodded her head slowly.

"We can do that. I'd say Ruby and the others are still in Atlas, so we have time."

"Thanks, Jace."

"Any time. You know I'm always here for you." Jace said with a smile.

"We are too." Auron said.

"We're family too, right?" Raine added with a grin.

"And I wouldn't change it for the world." Alyss replied.

The group separated with Jace and Alyss going toward the inside of the ship. "Hey Alyss, can I talk to you?" Raine asked and Alyss turned back to her.

"I'll be inside. We can have that scritching session you talked about". Jace said and kissed Alyss on the cheek, then he departed.

"What do you need?" Alyss asked and the two Faunus went to sit on a bench.

"I need some advice… How did you deal with your feelings for Jace before you two started dating?"

"Hmm… I just tried to see if what I was feeling was right and I wasn't just overthinking something simple. It made me really nervous when I was around him and I blushed a lot when I thought of certain things with him," Alyss explained and looked at Raine as she tilted her head, "Why?"

Raine swallowed a lump in her throat. "I've been having feelings for someone… I've had them for a few years. I want to tell her _so_ bad but because of how we're Rangers, we might be separated for months or years at a time. I don't know what to do…" She finished in a whisper and took hold of her sword again and looked at the crossguard.

"We're going into a fight that we honestly might not make it out of," Alyss said with a sigh, "You know we lead dangerous lives and each night we sleep could be our last. That's why me and Jace have basically been inseparable since I woke up. We want to savor our time with each other before we get there and have to do all of that," Alyss placed her hand on her bruised neck and smiled, "Look, I'm gonna tell you what my friend… what my _sister_ said to me before. You might regret it if you don't."

Raine took a deep breath and nodded. "Maybe I should take my own advice, then," She gave a weak smile, then hugged Alyss, "Thanks for listening. It made me feel better to say something about it."

"Hey, I'm here for you if you need me."

"And I'm here for you too," Raine replied and they separated, "Now, go savor your time with Jace a bit more." She said with a grin.

Alyss smiled and stood up. "You don't need to tell me twice."

She walked into the ship and went toward their room. She knew who Raine was talking about and she smiled even more as she came to the door. She stepped in and Jace was already sitting on the bed.

"What did Raine want to talk about?" Jace asked.

"She asked me what I felt before we started dating." Alyss answered and sat on the bed with him.

"Really? Is she in love with someone?"

"Yeah, but I'm not telling who."

Jace sighed. "Damn… I'll have to get you some tuna."

"Uh-uh. No. I'm not saying. Now stop trying to bribe me or you won't get kisses."

"Okay! Okay! No need to get drastic," Jace laughed, "Now… scritching session?"

Alyss nodded and smiled. "Yeah. First, I think we should see what you'll do when I rub yours."

"That works. I'm nervous about how it'll feel."

"If it's uncomfortable, just tell me to stop, okay?" Alyss said and moved her hands up to his cat ears.

Jace nodded and took a deep breath as he prepared himself for whatever feeling it would be. "Okay, you can start."

Alyss nodded and softly put her hands on his ears. She started to gently rub them both and Jace took a sharp breath. "Is it okay?" Alyss asked. Jace nodded slowly and closed his eyes as she continued her minstrations. After a few moments, Jace felt a strange feeling building in his chest as Alyss started scritching at the bases of both ears. He let a deep rumble escape him as he leaned forward into her, burying his face into the crook of her neck.

"Oh my Oum Jace… you're purring!" Alyss squealed as silently as she could.

"Gods… now I know your pleasure, kitten… This feels like heaven."

Alyss continued scritching as Jace wrapped his arms around her, pulling them both down onto the bed from their seated positions. He reached his hands up and returned the pleasure, digging his fingertips gently between her ears as well. Both of them were rendered into two adult-sized puddles of purrs, and they couldn't be any happier.

* * *

"Everyone! Wake your asses up an' get outside!" Connor called through the speakers of the ship.

They were one day away from Vale and it was in the middle of the night. Confusion set in with all the crewmen quickly as they grabbed their weapons and ran outside. Team JKDW quickly dressed themselves and grabbed their weapons also, then ran outside with the rest, meeting Alex along the way. What they all came out to was quite the sight.

"Sweet Oum…" Alex remarked and loosened his grip on _Celosia_. He sheathed the blade and hooked the hilt to his belt.

"A meteor shower?" Alyss asked in wonder.

"Wow… I've never seen anything like it." Raine remarked and put her arrow back in her quiver.

They all stood and marveled at the shower above them for several moments until they moved to Auron's truck without a word. Auron climbed up and laid on the hood, resting his back and head against the strong windshield. Raine jumped up and laid on top of the cab. Jace and Alyss laid closely together in the bed of the truck with their hands interlocked. Alex just sat on the bench next to it. All the crewmen sat and laid around on the deck of the ship and watched as well. It was a once in a lifetime event that no one wanted to miss.

"I hope the others can see this." Alyss said as the hundreds of meteors streaked across the night sky.

"I'd say they can. I kinda doubt Nora would be asleep this early and she probably woke everyone else up to see." Raine said and put her hands under her head.

"This ain't ever gonna happen again in our lives… I hope they see it too…" Auron said and exhaled loudly through his nose, "I wish Pyrrha could see it."

"I know they can see it," Jace said and blinked tears from his eyes, "I asked Ren to take something to Genesis' headstone for me for his birthday. They're probably all there still… That place really makes you forget about time."

"Today's his birthday?" Alyss asked.

"Yeah. I wish I was there to do it myself, but I can't."

"It _is_ pretty ain't it?" Connor said and stood next to the truck.

"It really is," Jace agreed and smiled, "Thanks for waking us up to see it."

"I figured that with all the chaos an' shit happenin' in the world that everyone needed to see this," Connor replied and leaned against the truck.

"You're a hell of a group o' kids." He said after a moment.

"Thanks Connor." Jace replied with a smile.

"We should be in Vale tomorrow mornin'. I'm headin' back inside." Connor said and walked away.

"I hope I can go back to Atlas soon." Jace said and removed his hand from Alyss' to wipe tears from his eyes.

Alyss leaned over and kissed him on the lips. "That would be nice."

"If you're going to your house, I'd like to go too." Alex said from the bench.

"Yeah, I don't mind," Jace said to him. He felt Alyss shivering for a moment and looked to her. "You cold?" He asked and she nodded. He focused on his aura with his burn dust and radiated it outward, giving his girlfriend heat from the winter's cold air.

"Thanks." Alyss said and kissed him again.

"You're welcome."

* * *

"Well, same as before, we'll stay docked if you need us." Connor said after the ship was docked.

"This might take a long time… You sure your crew can stay patient?" Jace asked.

"Oh trust me, they might not be Huntsmen like me or what Alex was trainin' for, but their auras are unlocked an' they can fight like hell as a group. They'll be off the ship an' helpin' out too."

"I didn't know you were a Huntsman." Jace remarked and drew a laugh from Connor.

"Yep! Part o' what we do is go out an' hunt aquatic Grimm. I'm one o' the only few that does it. We needed somethin' to do when you kids were doin' your own thing."

"Keep up the good work then." Jace said and walked over to where his friends were waiting.

"Ready to go?" Auron asked.

"Yeah, I'm ready," Jace replied and hopped on _Titan_ , "We'll see if we can find someone from Beacon to tell us what's going on or where Blake and Yang are."

"Sounds good." Auron said and sat in his truck.

The group drove off the ship and came to a stop at the side of the buildings, then left their vehicles there. They walked for a bit, seeing the people working with moving supplies to different locations. They eventually found the building where the Rangers and Huntsman used as their base. Raine took the lead and smiled at the Huntsman that stood in front of the building.

"Huh, I guess they called for an old war dog, haven't they Mabari?" She said to the large dog Faunus, his ears perking up at the sound of her voice.

"With all these Rangers, I'm surprised that Vale isn't taken back by now," Mabari replied with a grin, "And I'm thirty-five. Not that old."

"Guys, this is Mabari Reigns, a family friend," Raine introduced them all, "And Mabari, these three are my teammates. Jace, Alyss, and Auron."

"Reigns?" Alyss said and tilted her head, "You wouldn't happen to be related to a woman named Caitlyn would you?"

"I'm her mate actually," The Huntsman answered with a smile, "She told me about you and Jace. Thank's for helping our son."

"You're welcome," Jace said, then swallowed nervously, "How's he doing?"

"He's awake and walking around. It's still hard on him, he still has time to heal but he'll be alright." Mabari answered and the two sighed in relief.

"That's really good to hear." Alyss said.

"But… she never said anything about _two_ cat Faunus. Just a human and a Faunus."

"I can tell you later," Raine said, "I think he needs a rest from the ride on the ship before he explains this."

"You have no idea." Jace said.

"That works. I can wait," Mabari said, then he stepped closer to Auron, "I'm used to everyone else being shorter than me… But you are a tall bastard."

"You too, Mabari." Auron said with a grin and held his hand out.

Mabari was the same height as Auron at six feet and nine inches tall, and with even more muscles across the entirety of his body. His black hair was cut short and there were small brown patches where his hair met his forehead above his eyes. His large storm-gray eyes looked between them all curiously and his short dog ears were still perked up a bit from seeing his family friend. He wore two crossed belts on on his chest over a gray, lightly armored vest. His other garments were a pair of black cargo pants with his right knee wrapped in red cloth, dark brown boots, a glove on his left hand and a light metal spaulder on his right shoulder. On his belt was a pair of hook swords with small blades on the pommels.

The two shook hands and Mabari turned to Raine. "It's good to see you again. Vivi's been talking our heads off about how you're killed an Armaddon."

Raine blushed and looked down. "Yeah, I figured she would. Where's she at?"

"She's with Vaas. They went with a few Huntsmen to clear out a bit in the city. They should be back any time," A light breeze carried through the area and blew past Mabari's nose.

He tilted his head toward Alyss and Jace. "Are you two what I think you are?"

"Getting there." Alyss answered.

"Have fun with it." Mabari said and smiled.

Auron raised an eyebrow and looked between the three of them. "The hell are you talkin' about?"

"It's… uh…" Jace started nervously and looked to Alyss, who smiled back at him.

"We're in the pre-stage of mating." She answered for him.

"Yeah, I don't really know the details of that." Auron said.

"It's like marriage for Faunus." Mabari explained.

"Really now?" Auron said with a smile directed at the two.

Jace and Alyss nodded and smiled back. "The pre-stage is sharing a scent." Alyss said.

"That's why they've been smelling like wild-cherry since before we left your house." Raine explained.

"So that's that little bit o' smell I've been smellin'? I really don't know what the hell all o' that is, but good for you." Auron said to them both.

"Thanks, but I think we really need to find out what's been happening." Jace said and turned back to the tall Faunus.

"Well, a couple weeks ago, a couple of girls came by, ignored any warnings about going out there, and just went out for a couple of days. They haven't came back," Mabari explained and led them into the building, "I don't know what they were planning."

"They're going after the White Fang." Jace answered.

"Alone!? Are those two insane!?" Mabari aasked in disbelief. How could two Huntresses-in-training stop an entire branch of a dangerous terrorist organization?

"No… Well, maybe. But they're good fighters and they have a score to settle." Raine said and they stopped in a hallway.

"Well, I saw the fire in the blonde one's eyes, but I don't know."

"Mabari, are you talking my daughter's ears off?"

A door opened to their side and a man stepped out wearing a grin on his face and his fox tail waved back and forth behind him. He stood at six feet and one inch tall. His tail was dark red and the tip was black. His red and gray hair was at medium length, hanging freely from the sides of his head and face and he was clean shaven. His eyes were dark violet and they were filled with happiness for the moment. He wore a white dress shirt with one belt across his chest and dark brown work pants, and on his wrists were two bracers with small, hidden daggers that come out for him to take hold of just in case his massive-limbed longbow didn't get the job done from afar, along with blades that can extend from the heels of his black boots. He stepped forward and gave his daughter a hug.

"Good to see you Raine. And… what's that smell?"

"It's not me, don't worry," Raine laughed, "That would be my two teammates," She answered and looked back to the two, "Jace Reznor and Alyss Wystar. They're on the pre-stage with the scent."

"And the lonely guy back here," Auron stepped forward and held his hand out, "is Auron Karmine. Good to meet another Ranger.

"And this is the team I've heard so much about? The _Armaddon Slayers_ and my daughter's friends?" Halt looked between them all and nodded, then shook their hands, "Halt Daturas. Ranger of Vale," He turned to Raine with a small grin, "You'll have to tell my why there are two other Faunus when you said there was only one other one."

"I'll have to tell Mabari too." Raine told him.

"So… I got to meet your team, but under bad circumstances."

"Yeah, but at least you did," Raine gave a smile, "We're here to take back our home."

"Four students and one is an apprentice Ranger, and you plan to take back an entire city?" He asked amusedly.

"I'll fight tooth an' nail for it. Me an' Jace got pieces of our family stuck up at Beacon," Auron said and gave a look of confidence, "My closest friend died there an' we're gonna be on the frontline to take it all back."

"And they won't be alone." The voice of a certain minigun-toting, sunglass-wearing leader interrupted them. They all turned and saw team CFVY walk down the hallway.

 _"More people to explain this to already… Fuck,"_ Jace thought to himself as the ears flattened out against his scalp, _"This is a weird feeling."_

"It's good seeing you guys again." Jace said and gave a small grin.

"We'll be there too," Coco said and nodded to them all, then she glanced at Jace's right ear, then Alyss' left cat ear.

"Nice earrings."

"Five." Jace said.

"He's countin' how many times someone says that to 'im." Auron said before Coco could ask.

"Ah. I actually think they're nice, though." Coco said with a grin.

"Thanks." Jace and Alyss said to her.

"And… you never had cat ears before." Velvet stated.

"Can I tell you after we're done here?" Jace asked.

"Yeah, sure. It's just really strange." Velvet said.

"Perhaps we should return our focus to the matter at hand." Yatsuhashi said from Velvet's side.

"Yeah. We're coming back to take back our school," Velvet said and smiled toward Jace and Alyss as she smelled the air, "You won't believe who we saw boarding a bullhead back here from Mistral as well."

"Who's that?" Alyss asked.

"Cardin. Although his team's probably just in it for the glory." Coco scoffed and shook her head.

"At least they aren't hiding." Jace remarked.

"Alright, so you have three teams lined up and ready to go then," Halt said and looked at the two team's standing before him, "Three teams of students and there's a horde of Grimm, the Dragon, and Cinder sitting at Beacon. That's a lot of odds stacked up."

"Add two more to that," Jace said and looked back to Halt, "RWBY and… who's left of JNPR," He hated having to say that, "Pyrrha might be gone, but Jaune's fighting for the both of them. Ruby's getting Weiss too, and Blake and Yang are already taking down the White Fang command that's here. That's five teams of students so far that are gonna fight for our home, it doesn't matter why."

Halt and Mabari looked to each other and smiled. "Well, let's just wait until everyone gets here." Halt said to them all.

"Go get some rest." Mabari said and the two walked into one of the rooms.

"I'm gonna go explain your ears to them." Raine said and followed them.

"Okay, ear talk," Coco said and they all started walking back outside, "How and why do you have cat ears like your girlfriend?"

"I'm a cat Faunus because she's a cat Faunus…" Jace said nervously.

"That doesn't make any sense." Coco deadpanned.

Jace sighed. "Remember how I said those people put Faunus DNA in me?" He asked and they nodded, "It reacted to Alyss' scent. That DNA thinks I'm a cat Faunus because of it and my body grew ears for it. Make sense now?"

"It does, yeah," Velvet said, "So now you have cat ears? How does it feel?"

"Scritches are fucking amazing," Jace grinned, "It took me a bit to get used to the wind, but I'm okay now. I have full control over them too." He said and moved them around in different directions.

"And you have no problems with it?"

"Nope. Only with exactly how I got them."

"Okay, now that that's out of the way, what happened with your arm?" Coco asked Jace as the teams stopped outside, "Didn't it used to be metal?"

"When I was in a coma, the doctor that made it came by and took it back to the lab for an improvement and to put synthetic skin on it." Jace answered.

"And you have a new blade as well." Yatsuhashi stated as he looked at the sword.

"Yeah, I had to make a new one since my other one is still at Beacon. Auron let me use some scrap metal he had laying around.

"What type of metal?" The large warrior asked.

"It was from an Atlesian Spider Tank. Took awhile to reforge it to be usable. The red on it glows when I put aura into it to open the tip."

"Hmm. Interesting."

"How did you guys find out what was happening?" Alyss asked them as they stepped outside.

Coco gave a smirk. "We happened to hear a rumor that two Huntresses-in-training, blonde and raven-haired, were headed from Mistral to Vale and figured that it was about time. CRDL got wind of it too and they're actually here."

"At least it's not just gonna be us, RWBY and JNPR." Jace replied with a grin.

"I'm suprised you didn't hear the fuckin' war down south then," Auron remarked, "Grimm an' Crimson Lance attacked us all."

"It's kinda hard to hear much when you're in the dorms for foreign students," Coco remarked," I'm suprised we heard what we did."

They stood for a few moments while they decided on what to do. Velvet looked to both Jace and Alyss and smiled again. "You two look so happy together."

"Thanks." They both answered and smiled back.

"It makes me so happy to see a Faunus-human couple that are just so comfortable with each other."

"I don't mean anything bad by this, but can you really be considered human now?" Coco asked Jace.

"I don't know, really. I don't think so because that DNA did so much to my body" He replied.

"And you're okay with just… changing races basically?"

"Yeah, more or less. I get to deal with racists too, so yeah."

"At least you can punch them in the face and be more justified for it," Coco grinned, "You both stay happy, hear me?"

"If it weren't for them both bein' together like they are, they wouldn't have got this far." Auron said for the two.

"That's true. And we'll stay happy," Jace agreed and put his arm around Alyss' shoulders, "It would've been a lot harder on me to deal with everything if it wasn't for her."

"Same here." Alyss said with a smile.

Fox gave a loud sigh and a grin, surprising everyone with the sound. "You guys are so damn sappy."

* * *

"Hey! someone bring a medic over here!" Everyone heard the yell by a Huntsman near the edge of the docks going into the city.

Jace and his team had been there for a week preparing themselves for the fight ahead. They heard the yell and ran toward the Huntsman that called, weapons drawn and ready. When they arrived, they saw heads of gold and black hair supporting themselves as they walked into the docks.

Yang sported cuts and bruises along her midsection and arms, holding her right arm closely to her. Blake looked in the same condition with cuts and lashes everywhere on her arms, hands, legs, and a few on her face as well. But something was different. She had Gambol Shroud on her back like usual, but on her belt was another weapon, a katana with a rifle as a sheath.

"Ooh. Nice tan, Alyss." Yang commented and winked at the cat Faunus.

"Thanks." Alyss replied.

"The curse of Mistral got her completely." Auron remarked and Alyss smacked his arm.

"No curse." She said.

Yang's eyes went back to Jace, then to the top of his head. "Jace… how?"

"This is my fucking life now…" Jace muttered, "Faunus DNA. I'm a cat Faunus because Alyss is a cat Faunus. The DNA reacted with her scent." Jace explained as simply as he could.

"And… you're okay with that?"

"Look, I don't matter right now. Are you two alright?" Jace asked and looked between Blake and Yang.

Yang gave a grin and a weak thumbs up. "Tired as all hell… but we did it."

"Can we please rest before we answer any questions?" Blake asked and had a look of sadness in her eyes.

"Yeah, that comes first," Jace said and let them walk on the the clinic. They watched as the two were led to the clinic, supporting each other so they didn't fall.

"So that's the White Fang of Vale and the Crimson Lance done," Jace remarked and looked up toward Beacon in the distance, "Next is Cinder. But first, we'll take care of that for you, Alyss." Jace leaned down and kissed her on the cheek.

"We can do that after we make sure they're alright." She answered and they glanced back to the two girls.

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: The lyrics I used are from _Metalingus_ by Alter Bridge. It does describe Jace well from that time back then.**

 **Everyone has something they're fighting for. Jace has the spirits of his dad and brother. Auron has the last request of his dad and for Pyrrha's memory. Alyss has her mother's spirit. And Raine wants to prove herself to everyone.**

 **Mabari is named after the war dogs from Dragon Age. That's why Raine said what she did when she saw him.**

 **Yes, CFVY and CRDL will be there, among other people.**

 **See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	59. Chapter 58: Line in the Sand

**Line In The Sand**

"You guys been alright?" Jace asked when he visited Yang and Blake the next day.

"Still pretty beat up, but it's done now," Yang grinned at him, "I'm guessin' you guys took care of the Lance?"

"Yeah, we did. Me, Auron, and Alyss gave our families peace."

"What did Alyss have to do with them?"

"Her… _father_ ," Jace said through gritted teeth, "killed her mom when the invasion happened. He cut her mom's ears off," He answered sadly, "She killed him."

Yang went wide-eyed at hearing that. "Dust… I mean, I know that you told me her mom died there, but… Her father? I didn't know that… We're gonna make Cinder pay."

"Yeah, we will." Jace agreed.

"He cut her ears off?" Blake asked coldly, "Her Faunus ears?"

"Yeah… I-umm…" Jace hesitated and looked to the ground, his ears flattening against his head, "You know the saying, _eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth_?" He asked lowly.

"Yeah…" Blake said before her eyes widened and her ears did the same, "Y-you didn't…"

"I did…" Jace answered in shame.

"Jace-"

"I know… Gods I know… I know I shouldn't even touch a Faunus' ears or horns or tail or anything like that unless they say I can. And with what I did… It's just that he almost cut Alyss' ears off when she was a kid and I wasn't thinking right and… he _hurt_ her."

"Jace, that's no reason to do that to a Faunus," Blake said to him, "You took away a Faunus' pride! That's one of the reasons the Fang turned out like they did!"

"What would you do if a Faunus did that to your mom or your friend?" Jace asked her, "What was I supposed to do? Just let him get away with doing that to her?"

"You could've handled it better than that, though. You could've just… I don't know, knocked him out and left him in the street."

"He did the exact same thing to Alyss' mom, though. I didn't do anything more than that. What would you do if you were in my shoes? In the middle of a Grimm invasion where everything is burning around you? What would you do if it was your girlfriend's mom laying on the ground with no ears and another Faunus standing over her with a bloody sword in his hand?" Jace asked her as evenly as he could.

"I… I wouldn't take his ears off! That's just… so _wrong_." Blake replied.

"Is… Is it _that_ horrible just because he's… supposed to be human?" Yang asked.

"What? No! It's just that…" Blake sighed and closed her eyes, "No one should do that to a Faunus… absolutely _no one_. Faunus or human."

"I know I shouldn't have done that," Jace said quietly, "I'm ashamed of myself for it and I know it was a mistake no matter what he did. But I believe that he deserved it for taking Alyss' mom's ears and almost taking hers. I still don't forgive myself for it even though Alyss did. It was a mistake… but that's what makes us who we are, right? Our mistakes shape us. All you can do is learn from it because there's no changing what's been done… even if you wish you can."

"I know you would never do anything like that without a reason, like when you gave those people peace," Blake said after a few moments, "You're right… Our mistakes _do_ shape our being. I know I've made the mistake of running away before. Just… promise me you will never do that again. Look me in the eyes and promise you will never take away a Faunus' animal trait no matter what that Faunus did. Promise that you will never let your anger control you like that again." She said and looked into his face.

He rose his gaze up and met hers. He nodded firmly. "I promise that whatever happens in the future that I will never do anything like that again. I swear to Oum that no matter what, I won't take the pride of any other Faunus ever again."

Blake stared into his eyes and saw no shifting movement in them signaling any dishonesty. She nodded. "Okay. Thank you."

Jace breathed a sigh of relief. "I should thank _you_ for not hating me for it," He said, then he took a deep breath, "So… what do you think about it?" He asked them, "Y'know… these." He pointed to his ears.

"It's… actually pretty cool," Yang answered, "And how did you say you got 'em?"

"I grew them because the DNA in me reacted to Alyss' scent since we've almost been inseparable. That's what we all came up with anyway."

"Do you purr?"

"Yang!" Blake admonished her, "Why would you ask if he purrs?"

"Well Alyss does! I'm just curious!"

Jace laughed and nodded. "Yeah… I purr. Especially when Alyss scritches my ears."

"Really? You're letting her do that?" Yang asked with a grin.

"It's only fair to let her since I do it all the time for her," Jace closed his eyes and his ears twitched as he thought of it, "It feels _so_ amazing. It's like I just melt when she does it. When we both do it to each other it's just-"

"Jace?" Blake interrupted him.

"Yeah?"

"You're purring."

Jace laughed and blushed a bit as the purrs subsided. "Sorry… I guess the thought of it just excites me. This is still really new. What do _you_ think?"

"I think… It's really strange to think of a human changing into a Faunus… I guess that since your body changed and your senses and instincts changed, then you're just as much a Faunus as me or Alyss. I never thought I would ever say that."

"So you're okay with it? Just… me basically changing races?"

"It was never your choice. I don't have any problems with it. Even if I did, I have no right to say anything about it."

"Doesn't make it any less weird." Yang remarked.

"Nope," Jace agreed, then he glanced at the sword that Blake clutched firmly in her lap, "So, what's the deal with that sword?"

Blake's mood quickly went somber. "It… It was _his_. It's called _Wilt & Blush_. I have it to remember the man I used to know…" She said with tears in her eyes.

Yang looked over and saw the tears. "You alright Blake?"

"I'm… not sure…" She answered and ran her fingers along the sheath, "I put an end to Adam and his corrupted mind… But I also put an end to the man that I used to care about… I wanted him to change back into the man I knew so much… I wanted to be able to make him see that genocide isn't equality and he didn't have to follow what the new Fang stood for… but I couldn't and I had to kill him…" Blake took an unsteady breath and wiped the tears from her eyes, "I just wanted us all to be equal…"

Yang leaned over and hugged her tightly, wincing at the pain that shot through her arm. "You had no choice, Blakey. It might've been hard, but it protected thousands more lives. I'll be here every step of the way for you. Weiss'll be here for you. And Oum knows Ruby will too. You gotta stay strong for her."

Jace sighed and looked down toward the floor. "It's just a lot we all have to deal with. I'm gonna leave you both alone now. We have to go do something." He said and left.

"Later, kitty cat." Yang said.

Jace chuckled lightly. "Later."

He walked from the clinic and was met by his team and Qrow. "How were they?" The raven-haired Huntsman asked.

"They're healing good, but Blake has more to deal with and work through." Jace answered him.

"She had to kill Taurus, didn't she?"

"Yeah. I think she still cared for him in some way, but the part she cared about was long gone."

"Well, I'm gonna go talk to Yang." Qrow said and stepped past him.

"I'm glad Yang already told him about my ears." Jace remarked, "Is this the priest?" He asked as the man arrived to them.

"Yeah. This is Mideon, the priest that gave dad some peace before he passed." Auron introduced the man.

"Hello. Pleased to meet you," Mideon greeted and bowed to them, "Ms. Wystar, are you prepared to go to your home?"

"Yeah, I'm ready. She answered and they went toward their vehicles.

* * *

The vehicles came to a stop in front of the house and team JKDW dispatched the Grimm outside easily. Alyss took a deep breath and hesitated before stepping forward. Jace placed his hand on her shoulder and she relaxed a bit, then walked forward. Raine and Auron stayed outside with Mideon while Jace and Alyss stepped inside.

They walked through the darkened home, now able to notice the details of it without the city burning around them. With his enhanced night-vision, Jace saw a few pictures lining the walls ranging from Alyss' childhood to when she graduated Vacuo's combat school. He smiled a bit, her eyes were just as bright as ever in those pictures even though she was going through hell at a young age. It reminded Jace of just how strong she was.

There were different plants and flowers hanging from hooks on different parts of the ceiling, although they had withered away after months of not being cared for. In their full bloom, the plants grew with long vines that Lilith had go into each plant, making one long vine along them all with a shorter vine hanging off at regular intervals. Now, the withered vines hung fully to the floor.

They stepped further into the house and noticed a faint glow from the living room. The two walked slowly through the hall and stepped into the doorway, then they saw something that took their breath away. One of the One-Winged Angels was kneeling beside Lilith, holding his hands to her old wounds and closing them. Alyss looked with tears in her eyes as she glanced to the top of Lilith's head and saw that her Faunus ears were back, fully formed and clean of any blood.

She stepped forward and the Angel looked up quickly. He glanced back down and saw that his work was done and stood. In the darkness of the room, Jace could barely see a faint smile form on the Angel's lips. He nodded to them both and in a flash of bright, green light, he was gone. Alyss walked forward and quickly kneeled down next to her mother's body. She ran her fingers through Lilith's hair and felt to see if the ears were real, and she gasped when she felt they were. She felt her tears fall down her cheeks as she looked up to the sky.

"Th-thank you." She said in hopes that the Angel had heard her.

Jace went outside and motioned for the others to come in and Mideon pulled a gurney from the hearse he drove there. They came in and held a silent prayer for Lilith as Alyss stroked her hair. After a few moments, they gently placed Lilith's body on the gurney and rolled her from the house.

After Mideon closed the doors to the hearse, he turned to Alyss. "As soon as we can, we will hold a funeral for her." He said softly and gave a warm smile.

"Thank you, sir." She answered and wiped her eyes clear of tears.

"Think nothing of it. And please, just call me Mideon. Let's get back to the docks." The priest opened the door of the hearse and sat in it.

Team JKDW followed and got in Auron's truck, with Alyss and Jace sitting in the back. The two vehicles drove slowly back toward the docks as flakes of snow fell from the sky.

Jace kept Alyss warm by radiating his burn dust and he leaned close to her. "How do you feel?" He asked her.

"I feel better after finally being able to do that. I don't know if I can be completely at peace until she can be buried though."

"I'm sure she's at peace now. I'm glad to help you with it."

"I wonder why that Angel was there though…" Alyss said and nuzzled closer to Jace.

"I think…" Jace thought for a moment for a reason for it, "I think that he saw what happened and waited until you came back. Then he came down and healed her wounds so you could see what you knew her as and not a victim of a tragedy. I think he wanted to help you out."

"I didn't know that was part of the legend…"

"Well, the legends say that an Angel sometimes helps those in great strife. I think your mom's soul might've been uneasy at how her body was and she didn't want you to see her like that. It's different than the time an Angel helped me, a different kind of strife, and this Angel helped her."

"I never thought a legend like that would have any affect on me."

"Well, with this world, you never know what could be true or what isn't."

* * *

Before they went to the docks, Mideon took Lilith's body to the hospital's morgue to keep her safe and they returned to the docks afterward. Mideon parted ways with them and they walked around for a bit, then caught sight of Yang and Blake standing near the water.

Jace and his team walked up to them and stared north as well. "Worried about them?" Jace asked.

They turned to them and nodded in greeting. "A bit," Yang said and grinned, "But it's my lil sis, of course I'll be worried."

"You sound like Emowyn." Raine remarked.

"And me, I guess." Jace added.

"And they _are_ our girlfriends." Blake said quietly.

"Gods, I can't wait to see Weiss again." Yang said with a smile gracing her lips.

"I wonder how she's been…" Blake said with a small smile, then frowned, "We need to take care of the Dragon as soon as we can. I hope Ruby could get her.

"I trust her. I know she could." Yang said in confidence.

"We're gonna have to fight through a hell of a lot o' Grimm to get there." Auron stated.

"We have time to wait," Jace said and glanced at the tower. "If what Emerald said is right, we have maybe two and a half months left until Cinder revives that thing. Ruby and the others should be here in a month or so."

Alyss squeezed his hand a bit and looked as well. "We can do it. We'll have five teams of students, plus multiple Rangers and Hunters. I know we can take it back."

"I'm still surprised CRDL is here." Yang remarked with a snort of laughter.

"I'm just hoping we can take it back soon," Jace said. He sighed and shook his head, "Can you two tell Ruby and the others how I have cat ears? I'm already tired of explaining it."

"Sure. It'll be fun to see how confused they get." Yang grinned.

"It might sound weird to say out of the blue, but I'm happy for both of you." Blake said with a smile and looked between Jace and Alyss.

"Thanks Blake." Alyss said and smiled back.

"They've been together for a year now, I've been happy for 'em. Where have you been, Blake?" Yang asked her partner.

"Do you want to tell her?" Blake asked the other two.

"You can, we're gonna go walk around." Jace answered and they departed.

"Tell me what?" Yang asked and glanced to Blake.

* * *

"Cinder's there." Qrow said as he walked into the makeshift planning room with Glynda at the Rangers' temporary base.

After three days, Qrow scouted out Beacon from thy sky and came back as quick as he could after spotting her. He had gathered the Rangers and Hunters there, along with those willing to fight against Cinder and the Grimm.

"She's doing some ritual or whatever the hell you'd call it to revive the Dragon." Qrow continued and took a drink from his flask.

"At the moment, she is vulnerable from what Qrow has told me, but we cannot act too soon," Glynda stated and looked through the assembled students, "I know some of you have had a history of… unpleasant actions," She casted a glare at Cardin and his team, "But you have decided to come together to take back our school. There is a line in the sand and we are about to cross it. I would ask that you put aside all of your differences, your animosity, and your own personal agendas. Put all of those things aside and work together, train together, and prepare yourselves for the fight of your lives." She finished and let Qrow speak again.

"Now, there's no telling when that thing'll wake up, so we all need to be ready at any time," Qrow turned and nodded to Raine, "I want you to take a bit of time every day to take a look at the top of the tower and warn us if you see that thing move."

Raine nodded. "I doubt my vision will magnify all the way to it, but I can push it the best I can."

Qrow nodded back and turned to everyone else. "Alright, all of you need to stay ready. Go on and get some rest."

Jace took a deep breath. _"I'm really glad Qrow told Glynda about this…"_ He thought with a small grin, then it disappeared, _"It's about time… I'm so close to Standoff, Gen. But that can't be my focus right now. I need to focus on working together with everyone else… even Cardin."_

The room quickly emptied of everyone and the students met up outside. "I guess we should all start training with each other soon." Yang said and looked through everyone.

"It's gonna be strange." Velvet remarked and sent a wary glance at CRDL.

"Yeah, it will be," Jace agreed, "But like Glynda said, we need to put everything aside and work together." He glanced around at all the students.

Cardin looked up and glanced around at everyone as well, noticing a few glares cast toward him. "Is this supposed to be the part where we become _friends_?" He asked with a short laugh.

"Trust me, Cardin," Jace said and glared more harshly at him, "I still hate your Oum-damned guts after what you said. Remember what I said happened to me?" Jace asked and pointed to his ears, "This is because of it. I didn't lie about anything. If you're actually fighting, then you have just a little bit of respect from me at least."

"Okay, look," Cardin said as he crossed his arms, "I know that none of you like me and I don't like any of you. But my family paid the fees for me to come here. I'll be damned if I'm gonna let these fucking Grimm waste that money and keep me from being a Huntsman. If I have to fight side by side with a few anim-" He growled as he stopped himself, " a few _Faunus_ , then I'll do it."

"You actually got a hell of a point Cardin," Auron said with a small grin, "These Grimm ain't gonna keep me from givin' dad what he wanted."

"So, when are we gonna start?" Coco asked them all.

"I would say tomorrow," Yatsuhashi answered her, "We should rest for the night and begin preparations then."

Everyone nodded in agreement and separated. "This is gonna be a long few months." Jace remarked as he and his team walked toward the water.

"This ain't gonna go smoothly for awhile," Auron said and rolled his neck a bit, "We got three full teams, then we got Blake an' Yang. It'll be a bit uneven for now."

"Yeah, that's true," Alyss agreed with him, "But Ruby and the others should hopefully be here soon."

"Man… I just wish I could fight side by side with Pyrrha." Auron remarked and sighed.

* * *

The next two weeks went by slowly as the students got used to training with each other. Connor's crew finished with unloading cargo and Alex was there as well. Yang kept her anger in check as best she could when she sparred with Cardin, and he and his team had been steadily getting better with their combat and teamwork. Jace, Auron and Yatsuhashi sparred frequently with their large weapons, each person almost equally matched with Jace on the losing side of their matches.

Sky and Alyss sparred with one another with their similar weapons, with Alyss getting the better of the uncoordinated boy but each time was a bit more difficult. Blake, Raine, Alex, and Dove sparred against each other with their swords, with Blake and Raine almost equally matched. Alex had the upper hand more than a few times as well with his unfamiliar fighting style.

Velvet, Coco, Fox and Russell sparred in even closer combat with Fox having the edge in skill over them. As most of them participated in target practice, Velvet took pictures of all of them, specifically their weapons, with her camera.

Toward the end of their training on a Tuesday, a ship arrived at the docks. Everyone stopped in their sparring and looked to it, then two figures stepped off of it. One dressed in red and black, and one dressed in her white and black jacket and white, thigh-high boots.

"Here we go." Jace muttered and pressed his ears against his head, trying to make them less noticeable.

"Ruby! Weiss!" Yang called and ran off to hug her sister.

"Owowow! Let me go!" Ruby pleaded and Yang released her crushing grip, then turned to Weiss.

"Weiss… Gods I've missed you so damn much."

Yang was about to wrap Weiss in a hug, but the platinum-haired girl shot forward and hugged tightly, holding herself to Yang as she started crying softly.

"Y-Yang… I'm so glad to see you again." She buried her face into Yang's shoulder and the brawler rubbed her back gently.

"I'm glad to see you too, Snowflake," She turned to Ruby as moisture started to form in her eyes, "Thanks, Ruby."

"No problem. You both needed to see each other." Ruby replied and held Blake's hand.

"I wish I could've helped you… I wish I was there for you, Yang." Weiss murmered into Yang's shoulder.

"You didn't have any choice. I can't blame you." Yang replied softly.

"No… I didn't. But now I do," Weiss said and stepped back from the blonde brawler as she held tightly onto her hands, "Thanks to Ruby, I'm my own master now."

Yang smiled widely and stared into her icy-blue eyes for a few moments before leaning in to kiss her. Through her tears of joy, Weiss pressed back into the blonde's lips. They separated after a few moments and they both smiled happily.

"I believe I have another person to thank as well," Weiss said and turned to Alyss, "Ruby told me how you were able to heal Yang's arm. You gave her hope back to her. Thank you."

Alyss smiled at them both. "You don't have to thank me."

"I am, though. You're an incredible person, Alyss."

"Gotta agree." Yang said and put her arm around Weiss' shoulder.

"I'm glad you're alright." Jace greeted Weiss after she and Yang had their reunion.

"Yes… I am, finally." Weiss replied. She went silent and stared to the top of his head, causing Ruby to follow her gaze.

"Oh my Oum Jace! You have kitty ears!"

"Two minutes without you guys noticing. Damn." Jace said with a grin, letting his ears stand fully.

"H-how…?" Weiss asked in complete confusion

"I'll explain it for him later. He's done it enough already." Yang told them both.

"Thank you." Jace said to her.

"Okay, that's fine. I don't know what to say but they look cute like Alyss' and Blake's!" Ruby said.

"Never change, Ruby." Weiss said, sighing in good nature.

"How have you been, Weiss?" Blake asked as she smiled at their happiness and confusion.

"I honestly would rather not speak about it," Weiss said and looked down, "But as I said, I am my own master. My father can't control me now."

"We won't push you for details then." Jace said.

"Thank you."

"Hey Jace, what's going on?" Alex asked and came up to them.

"Just welcoming our friends back," Jace said and turned back to Weiss, "This is my brother. Alex Reznor."

"I can't get over how much I like not hearing _their_ name." Alex said with a grin.

"Yes, Ruby told me you found out you had a sibling," Weiss said and turned to Alex, "Good to meet you. I'm Weiss."

"I'm going to guess that the name Schnee means the same to you like what Storm does for us," Alex said lightly, "Y'know, going by the song you sang before."

"The only person I would rather not be associated with is my father. I am still a Schnee and I will work to bring honor back to our name."

"Yeah, there's no honoring the Storm family. Thanks to Jace, I'm out of that and I'm part of _his_ family. I'm gonna hope to honor them," Alex said and looked back to the ongoing sparring, "I'm gonna keep training and let you guys catch up." He said and took off back to the others.

Jace grinned after him and looked up to the ship. "Where are the others?"

"They're staying at your house for a while longer so Jaune can practice with something new." Ruby answered

"Something new? Like what?" Yang questioned her.

"I helped him with his sword. He needs to get the balance of it down again," Ruby looked to Jace and gave a sheepish grin, "We found some stuff around your house to use."

"Well, I said you could anyway." Jace said to her.

"So what's been happening? Y'know, besides Jace growing cat ears?" Ruby asked and glanced past the others to see CRDL and CFVY sparring with each other.

"We've been training. Now we have four full teams here." Jace answered and glanced back to the other two teams.

"And CRDL is here? Actually willing to help?" Weiss asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, they are. They haven't been causing any trouble so far." Raine answered.

"Perhaps we should go sit down for a bit," Weiss suggested, "It was a long trip here. And Jace, Alyss," She said and got the two's attention, "Your earrings are beautiful. Ruby told me what you both did with those as well."

"Thank you. We'll let you guys go catch up more. We're gonna go back to-." Jace looked past them and saw another team departing from the ship as team RWBY walked away.

"For the love of Oum, please don't ask!" Jace called to them, "Someone else can explain it!"

"You, my friend, are full of surprises!" Tyr called back in confusion at seeing Jace's ears. They stepped off the ship and walked up to JKDW, "I will ask some other time."

"What are you guys doing here?" Jace asked .

"Let's just say it's a bit of 'extra credit.'" Paige answered with a grin.

"Out of my respect for both of you," Tyr said toward Jace and Auron, "I chose to come here. If I had to, I would've come by myself."

"But," Terra interjected, "You're our leader. If you get into a mess, we do too."

"Six teams then," Jace said with a smile, "And another Ranger. Things are looking up."

"It's good seeing you are well, Jace." Tyr said to him.

"Where are the other Rangers?" Ashe asked them all, "I need to let them know I'm here."

"Come on, I'll take you." Raine said and Ashe followed along behind her.

"So, you guys came to fight with us?" Alyss asked to make sure she heard right, "What about school?"

"Ironwood was against it at first. But," Terra started and grinned at Jace, "He said for us to watch your back. You must've really got on his good side."

Jace chuckled a bit and nodded. "I guess so. I'm glad you're here."

"It will be a fight for our lives. But we will be prepared." Tyr assured him with a grin.

"So now we have one more team to wait for." Jace said as they stood in the circle.

"It'll definitely be a fight through hell," Auron said and looked up to the sky, "Ain't no doubt about that."

"Oh, by the way," Paige said and grinned with Terra, "Nice earrings." They both said to Alyss and Jace.

"And that makes seven."

* * *

Another month saw the five teams steadily getting better with their fighting styles and teamwork. With Ruby and Weiss' arrival, everyone had to keep on their toes due to Ruby's speed and Weiss' glyphs. With Yang and Terra's similar fighting styles, the two brawlers had a blast sparring with each other. They didn't even use their weapons half the time. Tyr was added to the, as Sun had said to Jace before, Big Fucking Sword club and trained with Auron, Jace, and Yatsuhashi. It was almost nonstop for all of the people there. Toward the middle of their training one day, Raine broke off from them to check on the tower with her semblance and she dropped her bottle of water in shock.

The Dragon was twitching.

She bolted off to find Qrow while the others took a break for a bit after they noticed her run. "I got a bad feelin' about this." Auron said and took a drink of his water.

A few moments later, an earth-shattering roar was heard and they all looked toward Beacon.

"Mother of fuck!" Auron exclaimed and choked on his water.

"Oh shit." Cardin said and swallowed nervously.

"Hey! All of you get over here!" Qrow yelled and they all ran over quickly.

"We're about out of time. We need to get ready to get up there." He said to them all.

"What about Jaune and the others?" Ruby asked him.

Qrow shook his head. "We can't afford to wait anymore. We go in the morning. I'll let everyone know."

* * *

At six o'clock the next morning, right at dawn, the meeting was held.

"Listen up!" Qrow called to all the assembled Huntsmen, Rangers, and students. After Qrow and Glynda talked to them, they would set out toward Beacon.

"Our time ran out. We gotta go up to Beacon and deal with Cinder before it's too late," Qrow turned to the five teams of students, "We know that you kids've been training your asses off and you all grew a bit, but now it'll be put straight to the fire. It's time to cross that line." Qrow stepped back and Vivi stepped forward.

"We need to hurry. We can't just walk to Beacon and arrive there in time. And there's only one small bullhead on hand that can only hold five people safely. You'll have to decide on who goes and who stays behind for now. When you get the school, stay close. Communications are still down. If you have any suggestions on who goes first, then talk."

Jace stood and walked forward. "I think I've gotten good enough with my semblance that I can fly there myself. I can probably take one person with me, but that's it. Then it should be some of the heavy hitters out of us students and one Hunter or Ranger. I think the first group should be Auron, Coco, Yang, and Cardin. Coco and Auron have good things for crowd control, that should give us an easier time until everyone gets there. The rest of you guys can decide on who's next."

"Anyone have any more ideas?" Vivi asked them all, and no one said anything, "Alright. I want that group ready as soon as we end this meeting. We also need someone to volunteer to go with Jace. This one will accompany the first group in the bullhead."

Glynda stepped forward and addressed everyone now. "You students came back and are risking your own lives to end this. I appreciate it, and wherever Ozpin may be, I am sure he would appreciate it also. And you five, team APCT and Alex," She glanced over to the four foreign students and the crewman, "You don't even have to be here. You have my gratitude for wanting to fight for us."

"Ma'am, Jace is my brother and my only family," Alex said to her, "It's my fight for that reason."

"Yes, of course," Glynda said and nodded to him, then she turned to everyone, "This all your time to prove that you are not just 'students' or a crewman of a ship…"

She took a deep breath and addressed everyone with what she didn't think she would ever have to say. "This will be the day you take back Beacon! This will be the day that will be remembered by those that come after us! And this will be the day we take our home back! This is the day you prove you are this world's defenders! And as Qrow said, it is time to cross this line!" She rallied them and everyone cheered in unison.

They all filed from the building and within thirty minutes everyone prepared and grouped up. Auron, Yang, Coco and Cardin walked toward the bullhead while the others found their groups. Jace stood by himself, moving his limbs around to get them as loose as they could be. He waited for a volunteer to go with him and Alyss came up to him wearing a look of worry across her face.

"Jace…"

"We talked about this… You need to be in the third group out. We'll be fighting for a while and there might be some people hurt by then." Jace said to her and she shook her head.

"I know… I know. I'm just worried about all of this. Cinder's up there and we _know_ what she can do," She put emphasis on the 'know' and looked into Jace's eyes, "She put you in a coma and she killed Pyrrha… We don't know what else she can do. W-we don't know what's gonna be up there against us and I just don't want you or anyone else to be hurt." She said with tears in her eyes.

"Don't worry Alyss, I'll be careful. If I have to fight her again, then there's not a tower to fall off of, and we have everyone here now. We've all trained for this and we all got better, that's why Cardin's one of the first ones going. Because he got better and he hits like a damn truck and he has those waves of fire he sends from his mace." Jace assured her and kissed her on the lips.

They broke it after a few moments and Alyss looked into his sky-blue and emerald eyes. "I'll see you up there." She said with the best grin she could muster and went to find her group.

Back near the Ranger's post, Raine caught up with Vivi and stopped her by grabbing her cloak. "Vivi…" She started nervously.

"What is it, Raine?"

"I… I honestly don't know what'll happen. I know we've all been training hard to prepare, but…"

"Raine, it'll be alright. I have faith in everyones' abilities. You-"

Raine leaned up, throwing all caution to the wind, and kissed her on the lips to silence her. She let out all of the love she had kept locked away, she let all of her feelings flow out of her, she poured her heart into the kiss as she took the gamble. She pulled back from her after a moment and looked into her surprised, golden eyes.

"We never know what might happen, Vivi. That's part of being a Hunter and a Ranger and even a student and an apprentice. You never know when it's time to say goodbye… I love you."

Vivi looked at her in shock for a few moments before she smiled. She leaned in and returned her kiss, much more slowly. Raine was shocked and happy and scared all at the same time as she closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around her neck, pulling her just a bit closer. After a few more moments, they broke away again. Raine looked up and her eyes shined with unshed tears.

"I love you too, Raine. I promise you that this one will survive. For you." Vivi said and turned toward the bullhead after giving Raine's hand a squeeze. When she arrived to it and boarded, it took off toward Beacon.

Alyss caught up to Raine and they both stood together in silence.

Jace looked around at the others and noticed Tyr walking up to him. "Jace, I wish you luck. I would prefer to be up there sooner than last." He said and Jace shook his head.

"I don't want you four up front because it'll probably be the brunt of the Grimm. I don't want something to go wrong and have something happen to you, especially since you don't even have to be here. Same with Alex."

Tyr nodded slowly. "I respect your wishes and your concern, my friend. Be sure to keep those ears safe. Alyss told me that she loves them."

Jace grinned and nodded. "I'll keep it in mind."

"Jace!"

They turned at the call of Jace's name and saw Ruby coming toward them with Weiss next to her.

"I will see you on the battlefield. I look forward to fighting at your side. Fight like the Gods themselves are at your back." Tyr said and went back to his team.

Ruby and Weiss arrived and Ruby stepped forward to Jace. "I want you to take me with you." She requested.

"Are you sure?" Jace asked her.

She nodded her head quickly. "I'm sure. We've all got something to fight for and I wanna be in the front with my sister."

"Alright then. Weiss, you're in the second group, right?" Jace turned to the platinum-haired girl.

She nodded quickly in confirmation. "Along with Blake, Velvet, Yatsuhashi, and Doctor Oobleck."

"Alright. You ready Ruby?" Jace asked the brunette.

"Yeah, I'm good to go." She said and stood next to him.

Jace activated his semblance and grew his wings, and Weiss gasped in shock. "Ruby told me what happened, but it's still very shocking." She said and shook herself.

"I forgot that you haven't seen it yet." Jace remarked and took a deep breath.

"Oh, and Jace?"

"What is it?"

Weiss leaned in close and whispered very quietly in his ear. "She has freed me from my father and brought me to see Yang again. If I have my way and we come out of this, she will be my sister-in-law. If you drop her, there _will_ be hell to pay."

Jace felt a shiver go down his spine at the words and he turned to her. "Don't worry." He assured her and looked toward the tower.

"Alright. Ready Ruby?"

"I'm good to go!"

"Okay." Jace wrapped his arm around her waist, drawing an 'eep!' from her, and held her tightly while Weiss nodded to them.

"Flying feels pretty good." Jace said to Ruby and took off into the sky.

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: It's time to take back Beacon. Everyone trained and now it's time to play the game. And yes, I'm giving CRDL a chance here. In all honestly, Cardin probably doesn't want to take an easy way with this. Yeah, he's an ass, but he also chose to go to the best academy he could. So would he just let that go and switch to another school? I kinda doubt that, and I absolutely hate him.**

 **Also, the Freezerburn reunion. Weiss is her own master now, but there won't be any details on that because, once again, that's not the main focus of this story. Her dad's a fucking asshole. That's basically it.**

 **And Raine finally made her feelings known to Vivi. That's been something in the background since Vivi first showed up. And now, they laid it out there and they both love each other.**

 **See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	60. Chapter 59: Back For Our Lives

**Back For Our Lives**

Jace flew at a steady speed toward Beacon with Ruby held in his left arm as _Legacy_ was held in his right hand, hanging behind as they soared through the air. He was sure the first group of fighters were nearly there, and he wondered what exactly would lay in store for them.

"You guys took down the Lance, right?" Ruby asked him.

"Yeah, don't worry. It's just us versus Cinder." Jace answered her.

"And a horde of Grimm. And a Dragon," Ruby added in a serious tone, "Then there's probably Mercury."

"I'm sure Yang'll have a field day kicking his ass." Jace remarked.

"She said if it wasn't for you trusting Emerald so much then she'd break her."

"I put all my faith in hoping she told the truth and she did. Hawk was exactly where she said he'd be. Blake and Yang took that Taurus guy down. And now we're taking Cinder down. She's getting a huge chance."

"Yeah… She is."

They grew closer and closer to Beacon and Jace could hear all the roars of the Grimm. The bullhead soared past them back to the docks for the second group. Jace took a deep breath and brought _Legacy_ up to lean on his shoulder, in between his flapping wings.

"Are you ready?"

Ruby took _Crescent Rose_ from her back and extended it to its full form. "To be honest? I don't think anyone can be completely ready for all of this. But we can do it. We _have_ to."

"Yeah. Definitely," Jace let out a short, nervous laugh, "Anyone who says they aren't nervous about this is a damn liar."

"Not gonna lie… I'm nervous as hell. Please don't tell Yang I said that."

"Don't worry, I won't," Jace replied and took another deep breath as they came to the edge of Beacon. "Let's take it all back and finish this…"

* * *

At seven, the first group arrived.

It took the bullhead only ten minutes to arrive at the edge of Beacon's cliff. The five figures jumped from the light aircraft and the pilot quickly turned back to go to the docks. Auron landed first and blasted all the surrounding Grimm away with dust metal pillars. A Beowulf lunged at him and he raised his armguard and extended his shield, leaving the Grimm to strike it. Auron countered and slammed the face of the shield into its head, then brought his blade up for a quick stab through its chest. Coco landed right after and tore into the Grimm with a hail of dust rounds from her minigun. Yang came to the ground and blasted a few Grimm down with _Ember Celica_ and Cardin landed shortly after.

Vivi landed with Obsidian in its bow form and had three explosive dust arrows ready to fire. "Be careful. The Grimm could be more vicious this close to the Dragon." She said and fired the three arrows into the Grimm. They hit three separate beasts and exploded, taking down the few around each of them.

"We probably got a Goliath or two to worry about too." Auron said and brought out a revolver in his right hand.

"Let's push forward." Vivi said and the makeshift team ran forward.

They quickly found themselves against hundreds of Grimm in front of them. Creeps, Beowulves, Ursai, Boarbatusks, Nevermore and Griffons in the sky, a few Deathstalker's and Taijitus scuttling and slithering through the horde, one Goliath slowly coming toward them, and they heard the roar of an Armaddon somewhere in the horde. Coco took her cue and kept firing on them with her minigun.

"So… an Armaddon… how bad are those exactly?" Cardin asked and crushed an Ursa's skull with his mace.

"Pretty damn bad, you seen the video in Port's class," Auron answered and stabbed through a Creep that jumped at him, "They breathe fire an' they're strong as hell."

"Breathe fire… okay." Cardin said and gulped nervously.

"Don't worry Cardin," Yang said and knocked a Beowulf back into the Grimm, "We got one of the _Armaddon Slayers_ with us."

"Is that gonna stick or somethin'?" Auron asked.

"Probably!"

A louder roar shook the ground and a few Grimm went flying into the air. They looked toward the source and saw an Armaddon coming straight for them.

"Oh damn it." Auron muttered to himself.

"Well, speak of the ugly fuckers and they'll appear." Coco said dryly and turned her minigun in the direction of the Armaddon.

It broke through quickly and Coco dodged to the right. She rolled through and quickly came to her feet, swinging the barrels of her minigun back toward it. She fired a burst of shots into the side of it and it roared as it turned to impale her with its horn. Cardin came in and swung his mace with all his strength toward its head, catching the beast off guard and stunning it shortly.

"Do we have a plan for this!?" Cardin asked loudly and stood ready.

"Auron!" Vivi called and got the gunslinger's attention, "Use your semblance and send it to its side!"

Auron nodded and sent a large pulse of aura into the ground through a stomp, and a large and powerful pillar rose up and struck the Armaddon, knocking it to its side.

Vivi slipped a vial of gravity dust into a slot on her bow and sent out four arrows rapidly, hitting the Armaddon's nape and lower spine, then the ground. They glowed a purple light and the Armaddon was stuck to the ground, flailing its limbs in rage.

"Cardin! Yang! Crush its legs with your weapons!"

Cardin and Yang went straight on the attack. Cardin went toward the front legs and brought down his mace with great force, breaking through the bone plating and crushing its bones to shards in a dozen hard strikes. Yang went to the back legs and let loose a long flurry of explosive punches that grounded and pulverized its bones to dust. The two stood back and stood ready.

"Coco! Blast into its underbelly and stand back!" Vivi called to the leader of CFVY.

Coco gave a short nod and unloaded her weapon into the Armaddon's exposed belly. It roared in pain but couldn't bring its legs up to try to block the attack. The rounds from Coco's minigun started to tear through the Grimm's hide and destroy its insides. It gave off one last roar and died.

"Get back from it!" Auron yelled and everyone moved back.

Its corpse exploded and took down multiple surrounding Grimm, impaling their bodies and skulls with shards of bone and rock.

Auron looked around saw a red blur moving through the Grimm, slicing their heads off with precision and efficiency. He looked up and saw Jace flying straight toward an Ursa Major and took its head off easily with one momentum and recoil-powered strike. Jace grouped up with the others and nodded to them.

"Good job on the Armaddon." Jace said to them and the Grimm seemed to recoil a bit at the sight of him and Ruby.

"It was Vivi's plan." Auron said and took a breath.

"It's still good." Jace said and looked around at the Grimm.

"That's your damn luck ain't it? Can't go nowhere without seein' one o' the fuckers."

"That's a curse I really wish I could break."

Yang came up to him an patted him on the shoulder. "Any idea who the next group is?"

Jace nodded quickly. "Weiss, Blake, Velvet, Yatsuhashi, and Oobleck. Raine and Alyss are in the third group with Fox, Russell, and Vaas. Sky, Dove, Halt, and Mabari are in the fourth. APCT and Alex should be last."

"You really don't want Alex to be up front, do you?" Auron asked.

"I'm new to this whole _older brother_ thing. Leave me alone."

"You'll get used to it." Yang assured him with a grin.

"The next group should be here soon," Vivi said and shot at a few Grimm with _Obsidian_ , "It's been fifteen minutes since we've been here." She took out a vial of burn dust and replaced the gravity dust in her bow, then added another vial to its second slot.

Ruby finished killing a multitude of Grimm and met up with them. "Jace, that was amazing!"

"I told you that flying was something else," Jace said with a grin and noticed the Grimm, "These things backed off when we showed up."

"What? Are they scared of you?" Cardin asked with a snort of nervous laughter.

"Well, I'd be pretty fuckin' terrified if I saw a huge-ass scythe or a huge-ass Artillery Claymore flying straight for me," Auron remarked and looked around at them all, "Let's keep pushin' forward."

"That would be smart." Vivi agreed and they charged the Grimm.

Ruby charged in with her speed and flared her silver eyes, cutting a path through the Grimm for the others to follow, then another, noticeably slower, blur moved along the Grimm and cut them down as well.

"What good are we when we got Qrow an' Ruby here?" Auron asked with a laugh as he shot down ten Grimm with _Last Call_. He reloaded the magazine and fired a bit more.

"Maybe just backup?" Yang suggested.

Jace tilted his head at a sound and looked behind them, then smiled when he saw the bullhead come back and drop off the next group. The five quickly ran up to meet them after they landed.

"Is everyone alright so far?" Oobleck asked them.

"We're good. My fears of the Grimm were misplaced after we got here." Vivi answered.

"Good to see you Weiss," Yang said to her girlfriend, then looked to Blake, "You too, kitty cat." Yang said with a grin and stood next to them.

"I've been here, though." Jace grinned.

"Not you!"

"Yang, no pet names." Blake said as she looked around at the Grimm.

"Right, that's for Ruby," Yang winked at her.

"Yang, this is not a good time for that." Weiss chastised her as she revolved the dust cylinder of _Myrtenaster_.

"It's always a good time when I'm around," She laughed and Weiss sighed.

"You're lucky you're so endearing."

Yang laughed again, then turned to Blake. "You uh, you think you talked some sense into Banesaw? Or whatever he said he was called?"

"I hope I did, but we can't think on that now." Blake answered her.

"Are you alright Coco?" Velvet asked her leader.

"Oh yeah, I'm good," Coco assured her with a grin, "It's weird to fight without my team though."

"I think we're all on team Beacon right now." Auron said to her.

"Agreed," Yatsuhashi said and brought out his sword, "Only for the day, we are one."

They followed the scythe wielders into the Grimm. It was definitely made easier due to the fresh team of fighters. Yatsuhashi used his strength and sent multiple Grimm flying with shock waves from smashing his sword into the ground. Jace sent out blasts of fire from his hands and immolated a few Ursai, sending them crashing and bumping into the other Grimm, catching them ablaze as well. Velvet summoned a holographic version of Coco's minigun and both she and Coco tore through nearly one hundred Grimm, Deathstalker's and Nevermore included.

Blake and Yang ran through, slicing and blasting Grimm away with their excellent teamwork. Weiss immolated the ground under a large group and set them ablaze, then bolted around the battlefield with her glyphs and struck out into their skulls. Vivi sent out a long stream of dust arrows and Oobleck sent out balls of blazing fire with his thermos, adding to the great amount of burning Grimm.

Team RWBY quickly formed together and started performing their team moves, taking down even more Grimm. Ruby and Weiss stood together as Weiss summoned glyphs of lightning in front of _Crescent Rose's_ barrel, giving Ruby's shots more velocity as they tore through the Grimm. Blake threw _Gambol Shroud_ to Yang and the brawler charged around in a wide circle, Blake held onto the long ribbon and spun Yang around as she blasted off shells of _Ember Celica_ into the Grimm that surrounded them. Blake eventually swung Yang up into the air and Yang let go, then came down and blasted both her gauntlets into the ground creating a large shockwave that killed the surrounding Grimm.

After another few moments of fighting, a Goliath grew closer to them. Jace saw it coming and felt his leg bouncing in excitement and nervousness. He held _Legacy_ in his hands and looked around. "Auron! Yatsu! Come here!" He called and the two warriors came up to him.

"I have an idea for the Goliath and it's pretty simple. Auron, launch all three of us up in the air toward it, then we can bring our swords down into its head and hopefully kill it. Sound good?"

"It is a sound plan, I believe." Yatsuhashi said and stood ready.

Auron took a glance at the Goliath and then back at the other two. "Alright. We'll go one at a time. Who's first?"

"I will go, if there are no objections." Yatsuhashi volunteered.

"Alright then," Jace said and stood ready with the larger boy, "Whenever you're ready, Auron."

Auron took a moment to take a deep breath and prepare himself. When he was ready, he lifted his foot into the air and stomped on the ground, sending Yatsuhashi flying upwards by a fast-rising pillar. Auron lifted and stomped his foot again, this time sending Jace on the same path. Once more he lifted his foot and stomped, sending himself following the other two.

Yatsuhashi came down with a powerful slash, aided by the force of his fall and his great strength, and sliced deeply past the Goliath's bone plating on its head, drawing a deep gash. He fell to the ground and Jace was next to strike. He pulsed air dust from his legs, pushing himself faster as he activated his semblance as well. He thrusted _Legacy_ deep into the gash and caused the Goliath to roar in pain.

Jace stuck there with his sword buried in the Goliath's skull as it started shaking its head in rage, nearly throwing Jace from it. Auron came falling from the sky and it turned to him, giving him the perfect opening. Jace moved his hands out of the way and jumped from the Goliath as Auron's boots came crashing into the bottom of _Legacy's_ blade, forcing it deep into the Goliath's head. It roared even more loudly and swung its head around wildly, eventually sending Jace off of it without his sword.

He landed on the ground and quickly materialized a burn claymore. "And now my fucking sword is stuck in a fucking Goliath's skull!" He yelled as he sliced into the Grimm that came for him.

Auron kept firing rounds into the Goliath as he gave a grin. "Hell of a story to tell your kids, ain't it?"

"Yeah, sure! I got my sword stuck in a damn Grimm and it ran away!" Jace growled in annoyance as he set his sights on the Goliath, "Fuck that!"

He activated his semblance and flew into the air with his wings. He flew for the Goliath and stabbed the dustblade into its eye, then he took hold of _Legacy_. He sent his aura through the blade and hoped he opened the tip of it, then the trigger came out from the hilt. He pulled the trigger multiple times, blasting each round into the Goliath's head. After the sixth shot, he pulled his blade out as it gave off one last roar.

As Jace landed on the ground, it crashed over onto even more Grimm. He turned his focus on the other Grimm and cut them down easily with the weight behind the blade. Soon, he found an opening and ran back through to the others.

"I'm already highly annoyed." He said and exhaled loudly.

"I see that," Auron grinned, "You alright?"

"Highly. _Fucking_. Annoyed."

"Looks like we're almost to the courtyard!" Yang called out to everyone.

"It seems this wave of Grimm is slowing as well!" Oobleck yelled from where he burned through the Grimm he fought.

Jace glanced back toward the edge of the cliff and saw the bullhead arriving once more, then another, larger, bullhead appeared behind it. From the first bullhead, Alyss, Raine, Fox, Russell, and Vaas jumped out. The second one seemed to be tightly packed as Halt, Mabari, Will, Sky, Dove, Professor Port, Jax, and Connor jumped from it.

They all quickly ran up to them and the remaining Grimm were driven back for the moment. After the Grimm stopped in their assault, the teams quickly regrouped with each other.

"Where'd the second bullhead come from?" Blake asked and took a knee for a bit.

"It was actually carrying supplies from Mistral with another one too," Raine answered and smiled, "Plus a Ranger that really wanted to show his thanks to Alyss."

"Where's Alex and APCT?" Jace asked.

"Glynda wanted to talk with them for a bit," Alyss answered him, "They'll be here soon."

"Well, what's the plan now?" Ruby asked and glanced at the tower.

Qrow put his hand on her shoulder and grabbed his flask with the other. He opened it with one hand and took a long drink of it, then put it back up. "We're gonna have to split up for a bit."

"Split up like how? Yang asked.

"CFVY, Port, Vaas, and Will goes and clears the amphitheater, cafeteria and the buildings over there. CRDL, Oobleck, Mabari, and Halt goes to the dorms, library, and classrooms. RWBY, JKDW, me, Vivi, Connor, and the other Ranger goes for the tower," Qrow turned to the large monkey Faunus and gave a grin, "Sorry. Don't know your name."

"Jax Creed," He answered and turned to team JKDW, "It'll be good to fight along side you four again."

"I feel the same way." Jace said to him.

"Before we split up, is anyone hurt?" Alyss asked and looked around.

"Only thing I am is tired." Coco replied and everyone else shook their heads.

"Alright," Qrow said and held his scythe up and stretched a bit, "Let's get a move on before the Grimm swarm us again."

Everyone nodded and separated to their tasks. Jace and Alyss walked closely together for a few moments before the fight started again, the same with Raine and Vivi.

"So Connor, you decided to join the fight?" Jace regarded the Huntsman. Jace noticed that Connor had a large axe in his hands, vastly different from those of his crew.

"I ain't lettin' a member o' my crew go into this shit alone. Plus I _really_ needed to stretch my legs." Connor replied with a grin.

"I'm glad you're here to help," Jace said and held Alyss' hand for a bit while he rested _Legacy_ on his left shoulder, "What kind of axe is that? It looks familiar."

"What? This ol' thing?" Connor grinned and pressed a button near the axe blades, then it started to transform, "It's one o' them shoulder-mounted miniguns. I got it a while back an' changed out the warhammer to a battle axe."

Jace looked at the weapon and gave a smile. "It reminds me of my old _AGR_."

"Those things were overrated. I'm good an' happy with _Demo_ here."

"Get ready to explain all of that to Ruby." Jace said with a smirk and Connor glanced to the diminutive brunette, catching her glancing over at his weapon.

"Well shit." Connor said to himself.

Near them, Jax fell in line with Auron and addressed him. "How have you been, Auron?"

"Eh, good as I can be. Fightin' with both dad an' Pyrrha on my mind. I'm gettin' more an' more anxious the closer I get to the dorms."

"For your father's weapon?" Jax asked and Auron nodded, "You will get it back, I'm certain. Also, you will be glad to know that I returned to that base and recovered multiple vials of the poison Hawk used," Auron quickly looked over to Jax, "I have delivered them to the appropriate people and they are working on a cure."

"You got no idea how much I appreciate that, Jax."

"Think nothing of it. Just know that the poison hopefully will not kill anymore people."

Auron smiled and looked forward, filled with more determination to retrieve _Jackhammer_.

"Vivi," Raine said and the Ranger turned to her, "I just want you to know that I meant that earlier." She said and felt a deep blush on her face.

"So did I," Vivi replied and smiled at her, "This one has built deep feelings for you since we met at the Gathering three years ago. I _do_ love you, Raine."

"I wonder if this was how Alyss and Jace felt before they got together." Raine wondered and smiled.

An earth-shattering roar from the top of the tower shook them all from their short moment of peace. More Grimm came toward them from the directions of the buildings and the ones with ranged weapons opened fire, taking down a high number of the weaker ones before they got to them.

Jace focused burn dust to his blade and sent out a slash of fire into the Grimm, catching them and immolating a good amount. He sent three more waves out and used another feature of his weapon, extending the blade and making it wider, stabbing it into the ground at an angle as a Boarbatusk rolled for him. It wasn't the original plan for that feature. He was saving it for Cinder if he got to fight her again. For if she sent out that beam of fire toward him.

The Boarbatusk hit the blade and went flying into the air, squealing loudly in rage. Raine sent two arrows flying and struck it in the chest, one piercing the skin to make the gap and the other driving further into it, piercing its heart. She sent out the rest of her arrows into other Grimm as Jace pulled his blade from the ground and retraced the blade to its original size.

Auron sent the last ten Beowulves flying from them with his semblance and the others fired their weapons at them, taking them down and buying them a bit more time to rest.

"This is gonna take a while, ain't it?" Auron asked as they made their way to the tower.

"Probably." Qrow answered simply.

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: Back for their lives. That's a fitting title for what they're doing.**

 **See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	61. Chapter 60: The Summoned

**AN: Sooo… with my last chapter, I forgot the Volume 4 finale was Saturday. I didn't want to post on the day of the finale, but memory can be very selective on what it remembers sometimes.**

 **Also, I swear this is almost over. Around ten to fifteen chapters left. I didn't mean for it to drag on like this. If I ever do anymore after this, then I'm not making it so long if I can help it. Hopefully no one's too bored with it.**

 **Anyways, here's the chapter.**

 **The Summoned**

The group picked up their pace and jogged toward the tower as Grimm started to come at them again. Connor, Jace, Raine, Auron, and Ruby opened up with a barrage of powerful dust rounds. It was a smaller number of Grimm than when they first arrived, but this group held more Deathstalkers, Taijitus, Alphas, and Majors.

"Hey Jace, is this like horde mode?" Alyss asked her would-be mate with a grin.

"Yeah. Just a bit easier too," Jace replied and reloaded _Legacy_ , "I have an Artillery Claymore now. I can shoot them."

All the lesser Grimm were brought down easily as the stronger and older ones grew closer. The Dragon roared from the top of the tower, causing them all to recoil a bit. That roar had some type of effect on the Grimm they faced as their eyes started glowing more fiercely and their bone plating seemed to extend to cover more of their bodies.

Qrow pushed forward with Jax and Vivi and went after all the larger Grimm they could while RWBY and JKDW separated.

An Alpha Beowulf swung its claws and struck Jace in the side, sending him crashing to the ground fifteen feet away. He quickly rose to his feet and shook himself. "Damn! Did these get stronger?"

"They could have," Alyss said when she ran to him, "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good, it just surprised me. So much for Oum-damned easier."

"I'd be careful if I was-" Auron started and was struck in the face by a large stone. He glared in the direction it came from and he found the culprit, a Beowulf with another stone in its paw ready to throw.

"Motherfucker!" Auron yelled and charged for it.

Jace charged back toward the Alpha that struck him and swung _Legacy_ in a sideways arc, catching the Beowulf in its armored side. It bit into the bone plating, but didn't cut all the way through. It swung at Jace again and he jumped back out of the way, then performed an uppercut to take its arm off. It didn't seem fazed by the loss of its limb as it quickly turned and struck at Jace with its other set of claws.

"You're one persistent asshole aren't you?" Jace remarked as he dodged the strike.

He stabbed his sword into the ground, then he grabbed the beast's arm and set it ablaze with his burn dust. He pulled the Beowulf off its feet and started spinning with it, letting it fly into the other Grimm as he let it go. The force of it bowled over a group of Beowulves, knocking them back and immolating them as well. Jace glanced around and saw a Deathstalker scuttling past the other Grimm and heading toward Alyss. He pulled _Legacy_ from the ground and bolted toward it.

"Burn in hell you stupid fuckin' Grimm!" Auron yelled at the stone-thrower as he pulled his blade from its eye socket.

"Having fun Auron?" Raine asked as she fired her rifle at three Creeps, each shot blasting large holes in their chests.

"No!" Auron replied and joined her in blasting into the Grimms' bone faceplates.

He quickly transformed his weapon and stabbed forward as an Ursa Major approached him. The tip of his blade glanced off the side of its mask and Auron fell out of balance momentarily. The Ursa took its chance and struck Auron in the gut with its paw. He used his father's semblance and the attack passed through the smoke. His smoke rose to above the Ursa and Auron reformed, then came crashing down with his blade pointed downward. The tip pierced a small area in its plating and through its skin as he landed on top of it.

He pulled his blade from it and jumped into the air, then brought his boots crashing down into its skull, driving its head into the ground. He sent _Last Call_ in an upward arc as he fired a shot from it, sending the edge of it through the Ursa's neck. Its head was left hanging by a thread as another came up toward him. It charged straight forward and bowled into him. He was knocked over onto his back, knocking his hat from his head, and the Ursa quickly towered over him ready to finish it. Auron sent his aura through his hands and lifted himself upward with a platform, raising his knee into the Ursa's jaw and knocking it onto its hind legs. He thrusted his sword upward, striking between the bone plates on its chest and into its heart. Auron pulled _Last Call_ back out and turned to face the next Grimm.

Raine put _Shagahod_ on her back and pulled her sword and knife from it just before rolling clear of a strike from a Beowulf. She came to her feet and blocked the next strike with her sword. She was inches from the Grimm's maw when it howled in her face.

"Shut the hell up!" Raine yelled at it. Then she let out her own howl, making it bolt its head back in confusion. She twisted her knife in her left hand and stabbed the blade downward into its eye, striking its brain and immediately killing it. She twitched her ears back and forth to ease them of discomfort, "Thank you… Gods you were annoying."

"Raine! Did you just fuckin' howl back at a Beowulf!?" Auron asked his teammate on the verge of laughter.

"Shut it the hell up, didn't it?" Raine replied. She pulled the knife out and stepped back as another Beowulf skidded past her. It twisted around and lunged at her quickly and she ducked under and struck in the weak points of its legs, causing it to crash in the ground. She quickly hopped back to her feet and jumped at it, thrusting her sword up into its jaw to end it.

Jace and Alyss struck at the Deathstalker simultaneously. Jace brought _Legacy_ down hard into the joint of its left claw, severing it as Alyss stabbed _Soul Leaf_ into the joint of the opposite. It screeched in pain and charged forward, catching them off guard and knocking them back several feet. It came forward and focused on Jace, seeing him as the more threatening, and thrusted its large stinger at him. He brought his sword in front of him just in time to block it, placing his left forearm against the blade to give support. He held it there for several seconds as Alyss came to her feet. She thrusted _Soul Leaf_ forward with a burst from the barrel and stabbed the blade into its stinger. She pulled it out quickly and the Grimm stepped back in pain.

Jace came back to his feet as it tried thrusting the stinger a him again. He sidestepped it and it slammed into the ground, the impact causing it to screech again. Jace swung at it and fired a blast from the barrel, sending the edge of the blade into the Deathstalker's tail and severing the stinger. Once again it screeched and reeled back as Jace and Alyss stood together.

Jace sent air dust into his legs and feet and jumped high into the air. He twisted _Legacy_ around and sent gravity dust along his sword's edge giving it extreme weight. He fell downward onto the Grimm, stabbing through its carapace with the weight of himself and the dust on his blade. His blade was stopped and was stuck before it made it to the Grimm's heart. Jace growled in annoyance and pulled the trigger four times, each round blasting through its body.

"Are you dead yet?" Jace asked the Deathstalker as its legs fell from under it, "Good."

"Jace, stop talking to the Grimm." Alyss grinned at him.

"No promises, kitten." Jace replied and jumped from the evaporating body. He stood next to Alyss as she surveyed the battlefield.

Alyss noticed that black puddles remained from some of the larger and older Grimm, but she couldn't think on it long before Jace started running toward their teammates. She shrugged it off and ran after him.

A Beowulf howled and lunged from behind them, going straight for Alyss. She brought her glaive up and Jace stepped in front of her to block it, but a large, gray wolf slammed into it, sinking its teeth into the Beowulf's neck. It chomped down harder and ripped the flesh out, then howled as team APCT and Alex arrived.

"Who's wolf!?" Jace blurted out in disbelief.

"That would be mine," Tyr said as the wolf stepped next to him, standing at chest-height with him, "This would be my semblance. Fenrir." He said and laid his hand on the wolf's head.

"And that's what caused you to lose your hand?" Alyss asked.

He nodded as Paige slammed the axe of _Demolition_ into the chest of another Beowulf near them. Terra arrived and brought her fists down in an axe-handle swing, driving an Ursa's head into the ground. She finished it by rearing her fist back and slamming her fist into its head again, crushing it to the ground.

Alex rushed over and set his blade into his boot and pistoned his leg over and over into the ones around them. They didn't see Ashe, but saw multiple Grimm go down with crippling shots to their joints.

"We will go to another area. Stay safe." Tyr said to them and he and his team went off into the Grimm.

"Man, fighting for a school that I don't even go to and fighting side by side the brother I just found out I have," Alex remarked and went to where Jace was, "This year is fucking weird."

"Welcome to Remnant! Jace said cheerfully and fired into the Grimm again, "Where weird shit is always bound to happen. Take my ears for example."

"We're gonna have a serious scritching session after this. Got it, kitty?" Alyss told him.

Jace smiled at the nickname. "Oh yeah. I'm looking forward to it, kitten."

"You're letting her call you a kitty? Seriously?" Alex asked with a grin.

"You don't know how true that can be now." Jace replied.

They heard loud screeching cutting through the sounds of battle and glanced up to see multiple Nevermore flying overhead now. Jace fired on them with _Legacy_ , able to bring down two before his magazine ran out of rounds and another launched a barrage of piercing feathers down onto them. They dove out of the way of the projectiles as the Nevermore swooped down toward them.

"Jace! Springboard!" Raine called and ran to Jace.

Jace quickly held _Legacy_ ready and she jumped on it. Jace activated his semblance and launched Raine toward the Nevermore with all his strength. She soared toward it with her blades held to her sides. The Nevermore opened its beak up, hoping to swallow her whole, but she maneuvered herself to sail over its mouth. She stabbed her sword into its neck and stuck there, causing it to screech loudly and try to shake her off. She held tightly onto the hilt of her sword as she brought her knife up high above her head. She stabbed it downwards with all her strength and pierced the Nevermore's hide, but didn't make it through its hardened skull. It tried to shake her off again as it rose through the air.

She still held firmly onto her sword as she stabbed her knife into it again and again, each time making it deeper into the bird's head. It made another attempt to get rid of her by rolling around in the air multiple times. She planted her knife firmly into its hide along with her sword and held on for dear life as it tried desperately to throw her off. The Nevermore steadied itself out of dizziness and Raine took a moment to shake her own dizziness from her head. She pulled her knife out and thrusted it downward one last time, finally cracking through its skull and striking the brain.

It plummeted toward the ground as she clung to it. After a few moments of falling, she glanced out toward the edge of the cliff and saw something in the sky. She didn't even have to use her semblance to see what it was that made her sigh in relief. The Nevermore crashed into the ground and she jumped off of it, then made her way over to her team.

"Backup's almost here." She said to the three of them.

"That sounds real good right now." Auron said and blasted an Ursa in the head with all four barrels of his revolvers.

Jace moved past Alyss and cut straight through the neck of a Beowulf that tried to strike her. "What kind-"

Another Nevermore swooped in and prepared itself to launch a barrage of feathers at them. It screeched and brought its wings back as Jace dropped his sword. He focused burn dust through his arms and started throwing a barrage fireballs at the Nevermore. All of them pelted its body and made it send it's feathers all around, striking other Grimm around the area. Jace reared his left arm back and built up the burn dust in his hand, then he launched a larger fireball and struck the Nevermore in the head. It engulfed its head in flames and the Grimm crashed into the ground as the flames spread all along its body, catching surrounding Grimm on fire.

"Jace! That was awesome!" Alex exclaimed.

"And now my arm is all tingly." Jace said and shook his right arm around for a few moments.

Jace picked Legacy up as another screech heralded the arrival of another Nevermore. He quickly reloaded his weapon and took aim as the Grimm reared its wings back like the other had. Then, another sound cut through the air.

"Is someone screaming?" Alyss asked and looked around.

Jace tilted his head at the sound and shook his head in confusion. "It almost sounds like-"

"God damn!" Auron exclaimed as he saw a blonde teen crash into the Nevermore's chest, piercing the blade of his spear in between its grown bone plating and striking its heart.

It fell to the ground with him on it and he stood up uneasily, gripping his spear tightly as he transformed it into its sword form. He took his shield off his back and waved.

"I don't know if I can get used to that." He said with a small grin.

"How in the hell did you get here, Jaune!?" Jace asked in shock at seeing him.

Jaune didn't get to answer as an Apex Taijitu slithered up to them and coiled itself to strike. Before it could, it looked up toward the edge of a cliff at something it caught in its sight.

"GOD DAMN!" Auron exclaimed even more loudly as a pink and white clad girl slammed her massive hammer into the side of the Taijitu's right head, sending the whole thing sailing up and over the Grimm and into the side of the tower.

Nora landed and hefted _Magnhild_ over her shoulder as she and Jaune came up to team JKDW.

"You guys know how to make an entrance, I'll give ya that." Jace said with a smile.

"Trust me, Jace," Nora said and grinned at him, "There's gonna be more entrances." She ran off to find team RWBY to let them know that she arrived.

"Nora! Wait!" Jace called and she stopped, "Want a boost?"

She grinned and nodded, then Jace blasted her with lightning from his hand. She laughed and ran into the Grimm with her boost of power.

"Tell us about your kitty ears later!" Nora called back to Jace.

"How did you get here so fast, Jaune?" Alyss asked the blonde teen.

"Arc Cannon." He answered and grinned.

"Explain that to us when we're done here." Jace said as he noticed more Alphas coming at them.

"It's real simple, just think on it." Jaune replied and brought held his shield up toward the Grimm.

"Not a good time to talk right now!" Auron said and met an Ursa head on.

Jace sent a bolt dust all along the edge of his blade and struck out at the Grimm again, sending his sword clean through their bone armor. Now that he knew how much to use for it, doing that would be easier for him. All he needed was the edge to be coated in dust, not the entire sword. He killed three of them before an idea formed in his head. He raised his left hand up and blasted a torrent of water toward the Grimm, dowsing them completely. He switched focus and sent out bolts of lightning at the drenched monsters, electrocuting them easily.

He shot out more bolts of lightning at the other Grimm before a roar behind him grabbed his attention. He turned around as an Ursa reared up on its hind legs to attack him. He brought his sword up to block it as a bladed whip wrapped around the Ursa's neck, holding it there. Jace looked at it in complete surprise and disbelief as Liza jumped in, striking downward with her left claw, catching the Ursa along its face. She pulled her right fist back and struck in an uppercut, sending her claw into the Ursa's jaw and killing it.

"I never expected to see you again." Jace said as Liza turned around to face him.

She wore a dark blue shirt under three wide belts on her stomach with multiple vials of powdered dust held onto them, along with her first-aid kit. She wore a pair of green shorts that reached halfway down her thighs with thin black pants under that with a pair of low platform boots. She wore light, decorated metal armor on her forearms along with a small, light-blue cape hanging off her left shoulder with silver designs decorating it.

She looked at him and gave a nervous nod. "Same here. The cat ears are even more of a shock."

Michael walked up to them and held his scimitar to his side as he looked at Jace. Jace saw that he looked more battle-ready as well. It wasn't too different from his normal attire of dark blue jeans and a silver shirt. He now wore leather armor and handguards on both his arms and hands with his legs free from any type of defense. On his right shoulder he wore a small black cape with green designs on it.

"The General talked to us when we all got back to Atlas," Michael said and took a deep breath, "He told us that if we didn't straighten up, we'd be kicked out."

"And what are you doing here?" Jace asked levelly and glared at them, remembering how much problems they gave him and his brother.

"Because honestly, after what he said, we felt like shit."

"We just assumed that after that last training mission we did…" Liza raised her gaze to meet Jace's, "that you two just left for somewhere else because you couldn't handle it."

"Can we talk about this later?" Jace asked and looked around at the Grimm.

"Sure." Michael said and stood ready with his scimitar.

Auron dodged his head to the left as the stinger of a Deathstalker came dangerously close to striking him. He brought his sword around and sliced deeply into the base of the stinger. The Deathstalker screeched and recoiled, allowing Auron to close in on it. He ducked under its strikes and thrusted _Last Call_ upwards, driving it into the Deathstalker's carapace.

His sword made it halfway through the Grimm's hardened armor. He sent his aura through his legs and sent a pillar thrusting from the ground with incredible force, driving _Last Call_ all the way through to its hilt. Auron pulled the trigger and destroyed the Deathstalker's insides with his double-burn round and pulled his blade out with the recoil.

Auron turned and lodged his sword in the gap of a Beowulf's bone plating and struck its heart as Raine stabbed one through the jaw right behind him. They heard a screech beside them and turned to face a Griffon right next to them. The only thing that kept it from attacking them was a few shards of earth that imbedded themselves into its chest courtesy of Liza. Auron took the moment to drive his blade deep into its throat, then he pulled the trigger and cut its head off.

He turned back and sliced at a Beowulf's knees, taking it to the ground. He jumped up and stomped his boot into the back of its head, slamming it into the ground and crushing its skull. He quickly turned and backhanded another Beowulf that tried to snap its teeth at him. He brought a revolver out and blasted one barrel into its eye. An Ursa lunged at him and he turned the revolver on it and blasted its paw away, then swung _Last Call_ in an uppercut, catching it under its jaw and cutting its head in half down to the neck.

Raine saw a Beowulf lunge at Auron's back and she pulled her bow from her back. She sent an arrow deep into its eye and one into its throat. One lunged at her and she rolled backwards, pushing up against its gut with her feet and sending it flying away from her. She came back to her feet quickly and put her bow on her back. She drew her sword again, smiling a bit as the blue and black pendant flashed by her face, and gripped it with both hands. A thinner Beowulf came at her and sent its paw toward her head in a wild side strike. Raine ducked and turned as she twisted her blade around to force the tip of it behind her, catching the Grimm in the chest.

Jace activated his semblance and flew up into the air with his wings. He rose to fifty feet before he let the wings disappear, then fell toward a large group of Grimm. He put gravity dust through _Legacy_ and held it high above his head as he fell. After falling for several seconds, he struck the ground with the sword, sending his aura and the dust out as a shockwave. The Grimm closest to him were torn apart by the force of the energy and the others were sent flying across the courtyard.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

Everyone heard the enraged yell from Yang and looked around. Jace looked up and saw the gray-haired boy called Mercury sailing through the air away from Yang.

"What's wrong Blondie!?" He called back to her while wearing a smirk on his face, "Not happy to see me!?"

"You're gonna pay!" Yang replied and charged after him, firing _Ember Celica_ backwards into the Grimm and using the recoil to sail toward Mercury.

"Now we got this motherfucker to deal with." Auron said and scowled.

"She beat him before, she can beat him again." Jace said and sent _Legacy's_ bolt dust charged edge into the spine of a Beowulf.

"Guys!" Alyss called out in worry.

"What is it?" Jace asked her, then followed her gaze.

"What the hell?" Auron asked in confusion as all the puddles of the older Grimm came together.

The black mass of ichor started bubbling wildly before their eyes and just like when the Dragon dropped blobs of ooze when it was awakened, something started to come out of the blackness. At first it was a large hand with short claws on its digits, then the arm came up.

The arm itself was much longer than the arm of a Beowulf and larger in circumference than an Ursa's leg. Then the other arm came up from the puddle. It rose from the puddle slowly and the group saw how large this new beast was, definitely larger than a Beowulf, taller than an Armaddon on its legs and nearly as large as a Paladin. Its legs were twice as round as the arms and were longer, making it tower greatly over everyone there.

Along its torso and back grew large and twisted spikes of bone, covering the plating that covered its back with ribs going along its sides and meeting on its underbelly. Its long tail swayed back and forth behind it as the bone club on the tip pounded the ground. The last thing that grew was its set of thick, pointed teeth and the bone on its head. The bone covered the top of its head around the eyes and two horns grew, twisted slightly and pointed forward toward everyone. Its whole body aside from the bone plating was covered in very thick and slightly-shimmering fur.

"What in the burning hells is that!?" Jace exclaimed as the monster roared loudly at them, extending its arms to its sides.

The Grimm dug its claw into the ground, then sent concrete and dirt toward the group causing them to shield their eyes. It charged at them while they shot at it with their weapons, seeming to do little to affect the raging creature. It strafed through their gunshots and came to Auron, he swung _Last Call_ at it and it barely made a scratch in its arm. It brought its arm up and Auron did the same with his armguard, extending the shield.

It's claws came down with deadly force and the impact made Auron's arm go numb and fall limply to his side. It grabbed him with its large hand and lifted him up into the air, then roared in his face and slammed him down to the ground. The impact knocked the air from Auron's lungs as it stood over him, raising its claw above him. It swung and struck Auron in the side, causing him to launch and skid along the ground as his aura broke.

He came to a stop and went to stand, but found himself only being able to raise to a knee. He put his hand to his left side and winced in pain, then brought his hand up and saw his lifesource covering his fingers. He went to stand again but fell back to his knees as he tried to catch his breath.

"Oh shit! Auron!" Jace yelled and saw the Grimm turn toward him.

"Alyss! You stay back and you help Auron!" He called and faced the summoned beast, "And keep away from this thing!"

"Damn thing just completely wrecked my aura!" Auron yelled and coughed hard.

Alyss quickly went to Auron and placed her hands on his side as Jace stood with _Legacy_ held ready. "Just try to close it up. I can't be bleedin' out here." Auron said and winced as he took a breath.

"I think one of your ribs might be hitting your lung." Alyss said to him at the wince.

"Yeah," He winced again, "It is. I know the feelin'."

The Grimm came at Jace and swung at him with massive force. Jace blocked the strike and was still sent flying backward. He hit the ground and came back to his feet as the Grimm came at him again. He dodged out of the way and sent _Legacy_ down into its arm, but did little to damage it as it simply knocked him away with a backhand, knocking him to the ground. Jace saw Michael's bladed whip wrap around its wrist as he rose back to his feet. It simply pulled its arm and sent Michael off balance, then swung its arm around carrying him with it. The whip came loose and Michael was sent flying toward the cafeteria.

"Liza! Go help him!" Jace ordered without looking and she quickly went while her eyes were wide in fear.

Jace lifted his hand up and sprayed water at the beast, dousing it, then sent lightning at it. Jace watched in disbelief as it was completely unaffected by the combination of elements. It roared at him and charged, running on all fours at him. Jace barely avoided being impaled by its horns but was sent tumbling away again.

Raine sent her twelve arrows into the Grimm's chest with pinpoint accuracy, each razor-sharp tip barely even piercing its thick fur. That's what she figured would happen. She called some of her arrows back before it swept its claw down along its chest, breaking the shafts of the rest. Jace struck its tail with his sword to draw its focus back to him. It snarled at him and swung its tail, striking him with the balled end and knocking him back again. Jace landed on his feet and opened the tip of _Legacy_ , then started firing his weapon at it again.

The rounds struck its arms as it strafed to the left and right, only drawing very shallow gashes in them. He ran out of rounds and had no time to reload as it came up to him. Jace dodged to the right as it swung its claws downward and he placed his hand on its arm. He sent ice dust from his hand and felt something wet as its arm started to freeze.

Jace jumped back from it and looked at his right hand and saw that it was black with some kind of substance. The smell that came from it was like that of asphalt.

 _"Is this some kind of pitch?"_ He asked himself in his head. _"How in the hell…?"_ He was shaken from his thoughts when the Grimm smashed it's arm into the ground, breaking the ice off.

"Raine! I think it's covered with pitch or something!" Jace called to his partner.

"How would that make sense!?" She called back in confusion and tried to think of something.

"Fuck if I know!" Jace replied.

He threw a fireball at it but from where it was soaked earlier it proved ineffective. He shook his head and sent burn dust all along his blade's edge as the Grimm came at him again. Two large fireballs crashed into it an Jace looked over to see Alex working his way around it. Jace went toward it and got its attention back to him. The Grimm swung at him and he was barely able to duck under it, then he sent his blade into its side. Alex came from the other side and sliced quickly into it and the two kept its attention torn between them.

"I have an idea! Keep it turned toward me if you can!" Raine called and set an arrow on her bowstring.

"We can try!" Jace yelled back and circled the Grimm.

Jace blocked its next strike with the edge of his blade. Its hand wasn't covered in thick fur like the rest of its body and the blade bit into its flesh, causing it to roar in the first bit of pain it received. Alex lept backward and sent a fireball through a roundhouse kick, then he pulled his sawed-off shotgun and shot into the fire. The sharp bolt dust pellets caught on fire and blasted into its face, actually stunning it with the electricity from the pellets.

It faced Raine and she sent out her remaining eight arrows into its chest where her arrows hit before, widening the gap in the fur. She pulled her arrows back and it was only able to break two this time. Jace took the short opening and reloaded his greatsword. He noticed what Raine was trying to do and stabbed _Legacy_ forward into the gap in the fur, widening it even further. He couldn't open the tip and fire a shot before the Grimm swung it's claw at him again, sending him sliding along the ground.

A pink grenade struck the monster in its back and it spun around in annoyance, then a larger explosive shell hit it in the face. It roared and charged at the Atlesian Paladins and Knights that arrived from the _Ravensword_. The Grimm arrived soon after and tore into the mechanical soldiers and war machines, giving team JKDW and Alex time to rest.

"What in the absolute fuck is that?" Alex asked and reloaded the empty shell in his shotgun.

"Hell if I know," Jace replied, "I would've been okay dealing with only one unknown Grimm in my life. Now there's this thing."

"Just our damn luck." Alex remarked.

"How's your arm?" Alyss asked Auron as she pulsed her semblance to his side.

"I'm gettin' the feelin' back to it. My aura's comin' back an' that's helpin' a lot." He said and winced as he breathed.

"I guess that means its not broken." Alyss said.

"Surprisin', but I ain't complainin'."

"Auron, are you okay?" Jace asked as he and Alex walked to Jace's teammates.

"Gettin' there," Auron answered as the pain in his lungs started going away, "Surprised I ain't coughin' up blood. But whatever."

Jace nodded and looked back to where the monstrous Grimm was engaged with the Atlesian forces. He looked in worry as two Paladins were already lying in heaps along with remains of dozens of Knights. Another Paladin swung its arm at it, but it served to anger it more. The Grimm grabbed the arm and ripped it off the Paladin, then thrusted its claw into the machine's body. It pushed its other claw into the area and started ripping the Paladin apart. With a loud roar, it ripped the war machine completely in half with its strength.

"Jace!"

Jace looked over and saw General Ironwood coming up to him with his pistol in his hand. "General? You're here too?"

"Yes I am. It's a relief to see you well again." Ironwood said and glanced in worry at his forces being dismantled.

"Why did you come here?" Jace asked in shock at seeing him.

"This is my closest friend's home and livelihood. I came here to help take Beacon back for Ozpin." The General answered.

"I'm glad you're here then." Jace said and took a sharp breath at seeing another Paladin fall.

"All that damn work gettin' the Paladins hooked to the sides o' this ship an' they get taken out like this!?" Viktor yelled through the loudspeakers of the ship, "Oum-damned waste o' time!"

Jace heard it from its distance away and sighed. "What is that thing?" He asked the General.

"It is completely undiscovered. But I believe 'Tyrant' would be a fitting name."

"It's worse than an Armaddon." Jace remarked and opened the tip of _Legacy_.

He blasted five rounds into the Tyrant's back, taking its attention from the machines it was destroying. It lumbered toward them as Raine fired her six arrows at it again and widened the gap further. She was only able to pull one arrow back as it broke the rest from its chest. She shook her head and took to running a burn dust whetstone along the broadhead.

From out of nowhere, Mercury slammed into the side of the Tyrant's head and fell to the ground. He had bruises and open cuts on his face and his ripped shirt showed multiple gashes along his chest as he came back to his feet. Yang and Weiss walked forward showing wounds on their bodies as well from Mercury. Yang had her fists up and ready as she had a look of calmness on her face.

"Gotta hand it to ya Blondie! I expected that new arm of yours to snap!" Mercury called to Yang and gave one of his smirks, "You're not gonna-"

" **RRRROOOOOOAAAHHHH**!"

Mercury was cut off as the Tyrant roared in his face, stunning him and sending him to the ground. The Grimm picked him up and held him in the air. Mercury struggled in its grasp as it opened its other hand up and extended its claws to twice their length.

"NO!" Mercury screamed before the Tyrant plunged its claw into Mercury's stomach and chest.

He gave a loud cry of agony before the Tyrant removed its claw from him and threw him to the ground, silencing him for good. It stretched its arms out and roared again over Mercury's body, giving Raine the opening she needed. She pulsed her aura into her final broadhead arrow and set it ablaze with the burn dust. She drew the whipcord string back all the way and let it fly.

The arrow pierced the rest of the way through its fur and struck through the skin. The fire of the arrow caught the dried pitch-like substance on its chest and set it ablaze, along with its insides becoming immolated as well. The Tyrant roared and thrashed around as the rest of its fur caught fire. Within seconds it was fully in flames, roaring loudly in pain as it finally fell to the ground.

With one last roar, the Tyrant laid dead on the ground.

"What the hell was that thing?" Yang asked in wonder and shock.

"A Tyrant." Jace answered and breathed a sigh of relief.

"I… actually never want to fight one of those."

"You're damn right about that." Auron said and walked up to them.

"Jace! Yang!" Ruby called to them.

They turned and saw that the Grimm have finally been killed in the area, giving them a break they all desperately needed.

"If it'll help, I ended up gettin' a video an' a few pictures while Alyss took care of me." Auron said to the General as they all walked to regroup with the others.

"That will help a great deal in the future, I assure you," Ironwood replied, then he turned to Jace, specifically to the top of his head, "Jace, you will need to tell me how you came to have a set of animal ears."

"I will." Jace replied.

"We were closer to the tower than I thought." Alyss remarked as they all met up.

Yang grabbed Jace's shoulder and pointed at the base of the tower. "When I first saw Mercury, he was leaning up against it."

Jace felt his voice catch in his throat as he stared at _Standoff_. He broke off from everyone and put _Legacy_ on the right side of his back as he walked toward the tower. He felt his heart beat faster with each step he took toward it, remembering how long it had been out of his reach. He arrived at it and saw that _Standoff_ had multiple spots of rust along the blade. His heart sank a bit and he nearly cried out from seeing it in such a condition.

Jace laid his hand on the hilt and tried pulling, but it wouldn't budge, exactly what Auron said happened when he tried to retrieve it. He took a deep breath and sent his aura through his hand and through the blade, feeling a heavy surge of energy flow through him from the blade. He pulled again and felt it slowly come up from the ground. With one final pull, _Standoff_ came clear of the ground and Jace held it in front of him in relief. With another deep breath, he held the side of the blade to his head and felt tears falling from his eyes.

"I got it back, Gen." He said for his brother and walked toward the others.

Alyss glanced at him as he arrived and she saw that his face had lightened from finally having his sword back. She smiled and went to hug him.

Jace hugged her back with his right arm as he turned toward Auron. "Your turn."

"Soon enough." Auron replied and looked toward the dorms.

"So, that's his sword?" Alex asked Jace.

"Yeah… I finally got it back."

They quickly addressed everyone's injuries. Everyone had cuts and bruises from the constant fighting. Alex, JNR, and APCT had a considerably lower amount due to their late arrival in the fight. Michael and Liza returned to them and Michael had been healed by his aura. Vivi was relatively unharmed, much to Raine's relief. Jax had done well in keeping from any damage with his smokescreens blinding the Grimm. Connor had a cut across his forehead and stomach which were quickly tended to by Alyss. Qrow only had minor cuts along his arms which didn't seem to bother him at all.

An earth-shattering roar from the Dragon ended their moment of reprieve. Everyone glanced up and saw the Dragon standing on top of the tower, shaking its wings and tail from its inactivity. It roared again and flew into the air. Qrow felt his shoulders slump and he looked to the ground.

"We're too late."

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: So, there was one of the final two new Grimm in this story. A Tyrant. I really hope some people get what I was going for with it. I described it as best I could. The last new Grimm debuts next chapter.**

 **See you then, and have a nice day!**


	62. Chapter 61: Face the Thing…

**Face The Thing That Should Not Be**

The Dragon flew high into the air as everyone just stared at it. It roared loudly and flew in circles above the courtyard. They saw more than a dozen balls of ichor drop from the Dragon and splat onto the ground in front of them. The pools started to give off a black mist and bubbled wildly. They prepared themselves and reloaded their weapons as the Grimm started to take form.

Jace set _Standoff_ on the left side of his back and took hold of _Legacy_. He started to hear low, distorted and demonic moans coming from the forming Grimm.

"Anyone else hear that?" He asked the group around him.

"Yeah, I do." Alyss said. The other Faunus there said the same.

They looked ahead and saw glowing red eyes in the mist and it started to dissipate. What they all saw were multiple humanoid Grimm. They had black skin under multiple mismatched plates of bone on their torsos, arms, legs and heads. Some of them had longswords of bone and others had claymores, maces, and just sharp and jagged bones sticking from their hands, elbows, knees, and knuckles.

"What the hell did she do!?" Qrow yelled in disbelief.

The Grimm warrior in the front opened its mouth and gave a loud, demonic scream. They started running at them as the Dragon dropped nearly one hundred more balls of ooze onto them. Ruby met the first one and sliced it in half as another swung its mace at her, catching her in the side. She hit the ground and Blake was right there soon after. She stabbed the Grimm through the head, then she shot at any that got near her as Ruby got to her feet.

"What kind o' shit is this?" Auron said as one of the claymore wielders swung at him. He caught it with his gauntlet and pulled it off balance, then stabbed _Last Call_ through its chest.

"Hey Jimmy! Why don't you get your damn machines over here!?" Qrow hollered across the battlefield.

"They were all destroyed by the Tyrant!" Ironwood yelled back and blasted two of the Grimm in the heads.

"Well didn't you bring anything else!? And what the hell's a Tyrant!?"

Ironwood growled in annoyance and brought his scroll out. He pressed a spot on the screen and put it up to his ear. "Viktor, have your men aim the _Ravensword's_ guns on the outlying Grimm away from everyone. And do _not_ fire on the Dragon. It may attack you if you attack it."

"You got it, General." Viktor replied. A few moments later, multiple panels opened up on the side of the _Ravensword_ and exposed numerous artillery cannons. All of them fired down onto all the Grimm far away from where everyone fought.

Ironwood placed his scroll back into his pocket and waited as the Dragon dropped more and more Grimm soldiers on them.

Tyr saw a Grimm coming behind Paige and sent his blade trusting into its back, then Paige turned and sent the blade of his axe into the side of another Grimm that came near them. He pulled it back and brought his mace straight down into the head of one and sent his axe into the neck of the one next to it. Ashe kept firing crippling shots with _Vulcan_ until she ran out of ammo in her large magazine. She separated her pistols and reloaded their smaller clips, then turned them into their sword forms and ran in. Terra, like Yang, went through and sent straight, powerful punches to their necks and throats, either blowing out their spinal cords or completely knocking their heads off.

One came up to her side and she grabbed its head in her hands, then pulled it down and raised her knee driving the point into its jaw. It rose back up straight and she sent a wild right hand into its face, sending it sailing back into the other Grimm.

Jace sent a bit of bolt dust along his blade and easily sheared through the Grimm that came at him. One larger, hulking warrior came up to him and punted him backwards. It stood at ten feet and held a huge bone club. It swung it at Jace and he cleaved through it with his electrified sword, then sent it straight into the Grimm's chest. It gave a loud scream and Jace pulled his sword back out.

"Ow! My fucking ears!" He yelled through gritted teeth and twitched his cat ears around, "Still need to get used to this."

"You okay, Jace?" Auron asked.

"Fuck no, my ears hurt." Jace replied.

"I'll kiss them later for you." Alyss said with a smile.

"Please do."

Jace tilted his head when he heard the engine of some vehicle. He turned his head to where the sound came from and saw a figure on an ATV, standing on the footholds and holding a long-bladed glaive in his hand. It was almost like _Soul Leaf_ with a large and pointed blade at the end of a long shaft of metal, with a small flag hanging from the base of the blade. Jace grinned a bit when he noticed it was Viktor.

He saw stakes come from under the ATV and completely stuck it to the ground. The force of the sudden stop sent Viktor over the handlebars and toward the Grimm. He brought his weapon straight into a larger one's back and spun around it until his feet planted on the ground. He pulled it from the Grimm and twisted around in a circle with his weapon in front of him, cutting down a multitude of Grimm before he met with his cousin.

"Connor! How've ya been!?"

"Damn Viktor! That your ship?"

"Yep! I'll give ya the tour after all this shit."

"How the fuck did you get down from it?"

Viktor grinned and stood with his cousin. "My lil' baby can take a big fall an' stay on her wheels! Now, how 'bout we give these things a taste o' how us captains do things?" He suggested and transformed his polearm, _Contra_ , into its shotgun form.

Connor grinned and transformed _Demo_ into its minigun form, then the two cousins opened fire into the humanoid Grimm.

Jace heard the gunshots and glanced over to see the humanoids being brought down by Connor and Viktor's assault but the Dragon kept dropping more and more on them, completely ignoring the numbers that the _Ravensword_ was bringing down.

Jace blasted all ten rounds from _Legacy_ and brought down ten, plus multiple more Grimm from the rounds going straight through their bodies. Jace held his sword in his left hand as he brought out _Ebon_ and blasted its rounds into any openings he could, crippling some and killing others. He reloaded both his weapons and glanced around to see how his team was doing.

"What the hell do we call these?" Jace asked anyone who was close to him.

"I'd say Ghouls would fit. They fuckin' look like 'em." Auron replied.

He had both his revolvers out at the moment, blasting through the skulls of every Ghoul that came near him. After he fired his twenty-four rounds, he quickly reloaded them with his last rounds and brought out _Last Call_. A Ghoul came at him and brought its sword down and Auron dodged out of the way. He sliced its arm off with an uppercut and brought his blade back down into its skull.

He heard one behind him and he kicked one foot backwards, catching it in the knee and sending it to the ground. Auron pulled his sword free from the first one, turned around and jumped up, then stomped down hard onto its head and crushed it to the ground. He heard one of their demonic screams from behind him again and turned around to meet a bone club hitting him in his left side. The pain from his wound made him go to his knee. It brought the club up and went to crush his skull.

Raine ran in and leaned to her side and planted a strong kick under its jaw, sending it off balance. She quickly stabbed her sword into its chest as it fell backwards. Another one came at them and she parried the sword with her own, letting it grind down the blade past her. She twisted around and stabbed her sword into its chest. She turned and blocked as another swung its club down at her head and held it there for several seconds as its strength slowly overwhelmed her. A dust arrow from Vivi pierced its back and the tip stuck through its chest. Raine quickly moved from it and sliced through the next one's neck.

"You okay?" She asked Auron.

Auron came to his feet and gave a sigh of exertion. "My side ain't a hundred percent. I only had Alyss take care of my rib an' the open cuts. Fuckin' hell this is painful."

"Be more careful then," Raine said and stood with him. "You have your mom to look after, remember?"

Auron nodded and held his blade tighter. "You're damn right about that. Maybe if I had all that Ranger trainin'…"

"That's for quiet people, sorry."

"How the hell do you explain Preacher?"

Raines gave a grin as she stood with him. "I honestly have no idea."

Alyss fired bursts of burn dust rounds from _Soul Leaf_ into the Grimm. She killed fifteen before she brought out _Atronach_ and shot down six more. She transformed her weapon and quickly sliced into them. One came at her side and she spun around bringing her blade into its neck, then spun back around and stabbed one in the chest. Another one came at her and she spun _Soul Leaf_ counterclockwise, sending the blade deep into its head. She heard one behind her and pulled her weapon free, bashing the blunt end into the other one's face.

She changed the direction the blade pointed and thrusted it into the Grimm's face. An extremely muscular one struck her in the side with its claymore, sending Alyss crashing away and into the ground with a cry of pain. She put her hand to her side and felt wetness there as the Grimm stood over her and screamed. It didn't get the chance to bring up its sword before Jace's boot met with its head, knocking it straight to the ground. He stabbed _Legacy_ into its chest and turned to Alyss.

"Are you alright!?" He asked in complete worry.

"Just… surprised me. Give me a minute." She said and started using her semblance.

Jace growled and bared his teeth as he activated his semblance. He cut the Ghouls down as soon as they came to him, either cleaving them in half or sending them flying away. He looked past them and saw a snow-white Beowulf tearing into the Grimm. A figure behind it cut through them as well and flipped over them with grace, bringing her saber and dagger into them in near-blinding motions. One of the Grimm came up to Jace's side and brought its blade back for a thrust. He turned and went to swing _Legacy_ but Michael's weapon wrapped around its neck and pulled it away. Jace quickly turned and blasted three of them with ice spears from his hand.

He heard Tyr's wolf howl as it charged at the Ghoul next to Jace. It jumped into one and tore its throat out quickly, then moved to bite another in the leg, pulling it down to the ground. Paige jumped into the air and brought the axe of _Demolition_ into its throat. The wolf quickly charged and brought down a Grimm behind Terra and gained her attention. She jumped up as high as she could and stomped both her feet into its head, crushing it under the force. One of the Grimm came up to Jace's side and Tyr bashed its head in with the hilt of _Earthcutter_ and sent it to the ground. Jace nodded toward him and they fought on against the force of the humanoids.

Alex rushed in and sliced a Ghoul's head off as he pulled his shotgun out. He aimed it toward a larger one's head and blasted it apart, then he turned and blocked a club strike with the side of his blade. He raised his shotgun and blasted through its chest, then another came at him and he activated his semblance. He quickly slashed upwards to cut its left arm off, then across to sever its head.

He placed his sword in his boot's heel and started a deadly spin. He sent his aura through his leg and sent fire all around him toward the Grimm. The ones that were close were cut down and those a bit further away were scorched and immolated. By the time he was done with the spins, Alex killed twenty of the Grimm. He grabbed his blade from his boot and stood near Jace.

"Alex… How are you not dizzy?" Jace asked him.

Alex shrugged and reloaded his shotgun quickly. "I had a _lot_ of practice," He answered and took a deep breath. "Doing that just fucks my aura, though. That helps with dizziness sometimes."

A few moments later there were many more gunshots throughout the battlefield as Atlesian troops arrived for the _Ravensword_ , and all of them were human. They brought down more than thirty Grimm so far and met up with General Ironwood.

The Dragon dropped three large balls of ichor and dove for the ground.

It landed a small ways away from everyone and roared as the ooze splattered to the ground. Mist came from the puddles and figures rose from them, they were large and four glowing red eyes cut through the mist of each one. The mist cleared away and three Armaddons started coming toward them.

"Alyss, are you okay yet?" Jace asked and sliced through another Ghoul.

"Yeah, I should be." She answered and stood up.

"Raine! Auron! Come here!" Jace called to his teammates.

They quickly killed the Grimm they were facing and ran over to him. They could see the worry and fatigue building in him and they looked to the Dragon.

"Raine, try to put their eyes out with _Shagahod_." Jace ordered and the apprentice nodded.

"Cover me." She said and sheathed her sword.

She unslung her rifle from her shoulder and took shots at the Armaddons. She fired off two shots quickly and put them both straight into one beast's eyes, then she saw Nora flying high into the air. She started to fall from the sky as Raine remembered Vivi's plan for them if they ever encountered an Armaddon. Nora slammed _Magnhild_ down right in the middle of its head and fired off a grenade, forcing the Armaddon's head to the ground and sending her backwards. She quickly brought her warhammer down again and again, crushing its head to the concrete and killing it. She quickly stepped back and watched as it exploded and sent the other Grimm flying away.

Raine turned her attention back to the other two and shot the other eyes out of the Armaddon she targeted. It roared in pain and staggered around, eventually turning completely around and blindly charging the Dragon. It brought its massive foot down onto the Armaddon's head and slammed it to the ground, then quickly bit into its neck. It sent the Armaddon flying toward them and it exploded in the air, sending bone shards flying in every direction, striking everyone and the Grimm.

"Oum damn it… I don't know how much more my aura can take." Alex said as he shook himself.

The last Armaddon was tackled by the white Beowulf and was held there as a freezing glyph appeared under it. Then Qrow launched toward it and sliced clean through its neck. He quickly turned his focus to the other Grimm and the Armaddon exploded.

The Dragon roared again and flapped its wings to lift itself into the air. It flew toward them all and opened its mouth, sending black miasma onto them all and choking them. It was quickly dispelled by two glyphs of air and wind from Jace's hand pushing it all away. They weren't prepared when the Dragon swooped mere feet from the ground and sent everything and everyone off their feet.

"We're so fucked…" Alex groaned.

"Shit outta luck, I'd say." Jace remarked.

"How in the hell are we gonna kill that thing!?" Auron yelled out the question as everyone came back to their feet.

"Maybe one of those Angels can come down and help!" Qrow called back with a humorless laugh.

"This is no time for jokes, Qrow!" The white-haired woman admonished him angrily.

"Who the hell said I was joking?" She didn't answer him and held her saber and dagger to her sides.

"I have a plan," Ruby said and held her scythe ready, "If these silver eyes stopped it before, I'm pretty sure they can do it again."

"Ruby, are you crazy?" Qrow asked in disbelief, "You can't do anything to that thing alone!"

"She won't be alone," Blake said and stared toward the Dragon, "I'll be with her."

"Same with us." Yang said and put her hand on Weiss' shoulder.

Jace walked up to them all and noticed the Grimm soldiers start to stir. "If I can help, I'll help," He said and reloaded his weapons quickly, "I'd probably just be a distraction though."

The Dragon seemed to wait for them as they tried to come up with anything to do. It stared at them and stood with its legs and wings spread apart and with its head hovering over the ground, like it was challenging them.

"Something needs to be done soon." Jax said and rolled his neck as he held his scimitars loosely in his hands.

"We'll play crowd control." Viktor said and fed more shells into _Contra_. Connor nodded and set _Demo_ on his shoulder in its minigun form.

"So will I, along with my troops." Ironwood said quickly.

The Dragon roared at them again and galvanized everyone into action. "Ruby, Yang, be careful," Qrow relented and patted them on the shoulders, "Tai would kill me if he knew I let you fight a Dragon."

Team RWBY broke off after the Dragon as the Grimm started to rise from the Dragon's roar. Connor and Viktor quickly blasted down a large amount of them before they got to their feet.

Jace sent out a wave of fire from _Legacy_ and sent ten back to the ground in death. He pulled his pistol out again and held _Legacy_ in his left hand, then shot through their heads. Auron blasted them with his rifle along with Raine and Alyss, killing even more before they could fully rise.

The Dragon roared and Jace saw that it started to fly toward them again. He felt his leg bouncing uncontrollably once again from the excitement and adrenaline. _"I'm against a fucking Dragon and humanoid Grimm… not something I ever thought would happen. Gen… I don't think horde mode had this in it…"_ He thought to himself as he decided on a course of action.

As the Dragon grew closer, he completely focused bolt dust to his blade and pulsed his aura through it heavily. As it crackled with electricity, he jumped up with the help of his air dust and sliced at the Dragon's leg as it flew by. _Legacy_ made a large gash on its leg and it roared in response.

Jace fell back to the ground and on top of another Ghoul as the Dragon circled back around. It flew close to the ground and targeted him with its wing. Jace didn't have enough time to dodge out of the way and was sent flying away with _Legacy_ falling from his grasp. It stabbed through one of the Grimm as Jace landed on his back.

Auron saw him land and rushed over before they swarmed him, bowling them over with his weight and slicing through their limbs. He grabbed the back of Jace's duster and lifted him straight up to his feet. "Thanks Auron." Jace breathed and looked around for _Legacy_.

"That dust-edge crap still drain you?" Auron questioned him.

"Yeah, it does. Especially with how much I just used." Jace said and continued looking for his blade.

"Hey, at least you did somethin' to the Dragon." Auron said.

"Yeah, but now I can't find my sword." Jace grunted in annoyance when he saw it was nowhere to be seen, buried under the mass of disintegrating Grimm corpses. He sighed and turned to his attention back to Auron.

"Watch my back. I need a minute." Jace said and started welling his aura through his arms.

"You got it." Auron answered and stood guard. He grabbed a Ghoul by the throat and launched it toward a group that approached them. He slammed his foot into the knee of one and caused it to fall, then punted it in the jaw while he sliced the head off of a larger one. A short Ghoul swung its sword at him and he blocked it with his shield, then pushed back and slammed his fist into its head to knock it down.

Auron quickly stabbed his blade into its chest and he glanced behind himself to see a Ghoul going for Jace. He cursed under his breath and turned to stop it, but a Grimm from behind him tackled and stunned him. It turned out to be a fifteen foot tall, brutish warrior able to hold Auron down easily. It moved its large hands to his throat and started squeezing its fingers into Auron's skin.

It didn't get the chance to attempt to snap his neck as Raine's sword went into the side of its neck. She jumped over the Grimm and pulled her sword with her, cutting through its neck completely when she landed on the other side. It fell over to the side and both Alyss and Raine helped him to his feet.

"Damn," Auron coughed and held his throat, "Thanks, you two." He picked _Last Call_ up from the ground and stood near Jace.

"No problem," Raine threw her cloak off for better movement and rolled her shoulders. "Family sticks together right? I don't think I want my brother to be strangled. Y'know, unless you're into that sort of thing."

"No fuckin' thanks." Auron said with a laugh

"What are you even doing, Jace?" Alyss asked her would-be mate before she blasted a barrage of dust into the Grimm.

"Would you believe me if I said I'm trying something I saw in a show as a kid?." Jace asked back.

"What!?" Alyss said in disbelief at what she heard.

"Just trust me, Alyss. Do you trust me?"

"Yes I trust you. Of course I do!"

"Then watch my back. Please."

"I'm sure he knows what he's doing, Alyss. Let's just keep them off of him." Raine jumped and planted both her feet into the chest of a Ghoul, sending it flying into the others.

"Right…" Alyss nodded and went to plant a hard kiss to Jace's lips, "Don't do anything too dangerous."

Jace nodded. "I promise I'll give your ears some real good attention when we're alone."

"Same to you, sweetie."

Jace forced a grin and he focused his mind. He didn't have the heart to tell her this was the most dangerous thing he could do.

"FUCK!" They heard Alex yell and looked over to him. He was facing off against a ten foot tall Ghoul with jagged bones on its knuckles and was facing his right side toward it. He took a deep and jagged gash on his left arm and held _Celosia_ in his right hand. He was backing up slowly from it as it came lumbering towards him. Auron transformed _Last Call_ to its rifle form and blasted three shots into the Grimm's head, taking it down. He quickly transformed it back and stood ready.

Alex rushed over to JKDW and knelt down as he went to tie off his arm to prevent the blood flow. "Thanks, man. I owe you."

"You don't owe me anything. Just take care o' your arm." Auron replied to him.

"Thank Oum I can use both my arms good."

Alyss risked a glance toward the Dragon and saw that it was actually taking damage from team RWBY's attacks. One of its wings were torn in multiple places and its head and legs had multiple lacerations. She turned her attention back just in time to be struck in the face by a bone sword. It bypassed her remaining aura and drew a gash on her cheek down to her lips. She stabbed the blade of her gun into the Grimm and shot through five more until she ran out of rounds in her weapon.

"I don't know how much longer my aura can keep me going." She switched _Soul Leaf_ to its melee form and thrusted forward, finding the neck of a Grimm.

"Same here," Auron stabbed _Last Call_ into a Grimm and pulled his revolvers from their holsters, "It's why I ain't been usin' either o' my semblances." He shot slowly and accurately into the Grimms' heads. "It's too bad there ain't more Rangers here."

"It would be nice if I had my arrows too." Raine remarked with a groan.

"MOVE!" Jace yelled and turned toward the Dragon.

No one knew what Jace was planning, but they all moved away without hesitation. Jace activated his semblance half-way and felt the strength come to him. He knew this would take his aura out and make him useless, but they were being overrun by all the humanoid Grimm and he had to try something.

With a loud yell, Jace pointed both his hands toward the Dragon when it moved away from RWBY and let the bolt dust blast from his hands in a straight, bright, concentrated beam. It tore through the Grimm in his way and struck the Dragon in the chest, causing it to recoil and roar in pain as the heat from the lightning immolated its chest and neck for a few seconds. The beam stopped and Jace fell to his face quickly.

"Jace! Are you okay!?" Alyss came up to him and held his shoulder.

"I-I can't… I can't feel my body." He answered weakly and could only stare out to the side for the moment.

"The hell did you even do!?" Auron asked in disbelief as he knocked a sword from a Grimm's hands and slashed at its gut, then he stepped over to Jace.

Jace couldn't answer and was barely able to bring his head up, then he noticed the Dragon stalking toward them. "I-I… I tried."

"Jace! The Dragon's coming closer, we need to move!" Raine said worriedly and went to their side.

Alyss placed her hands to Jace's back and tried pulsing her semblance throughout his whole body, but with all of the fighting and hits she'd taken her aura wouldn't allow her to. "I can't help… I-I can't…" She said in worry.

They were being surrounded by the Grimm and stood in a tight circle around Jace to protect him while he recovered. Auron fired the rest of the rounds in his revolvers and holstered them, then took hold of _Last Call_ and slashed in every direction at the Ghouls. Alyss moved quickly around Jace and thrusted _Soul Leaf_ into the Grimm that came near him and kept them back.

"You will not hurt my mate!" She screamed at the Grimm.

Raine brought out _Shagahod_ and blasted three magazines worth of rounds into the Grimm, keeping the numbers that came closer relatively small. Alex kept slashing across at their limbs when they grew close, severing arms and legs of them.

After several minutes of resting, ten long and grueling minutes, Jace unsteadily rose to his feet and brought _Standoff_ from his back. He swung his sword hard into the Grimm and took down four with its weight. He fell off balance with the swing and two went to impale him with their blades. _Standoff_ bit into the ground and he leaned against it as Raine deflected the Grimms' blades. She stabbed into their faces with her knife as Jace steadied himself again. Jace risked a glance toward the Dragon and payed for it as he was struck in the leg by a Grimm's axe and he took a deep gash in his thigh, making him fall to his knee. He was able to see the Dragon still moving closer as RWBY assaulted it.

Then a flash of silver cut across the courtyard.

Jace looked past the Grimm and could see Ruby's eyes glowing fiercely as she launched herself toward the Dragon with her semblance in a spiral of silver and red as its head was held by a huge, white suit of armor. Yang was on top of the Dragon's head, repeatedly punching it over and over and setting off dust blasts with her gauntlets.

Blake's semblance looked to have evolved as Jace noticed multiple clones slicing away at the Dragon with both _Gambol Shroud_ and _Wilt & Blush_. Yang jumped from the Dragon as the giant pulled its head back, exposing it's neck. Ruby's eyes flared brightly and _Crescent Rose's_ blade glowed silver as she brought her scythe into the Dragon's throat. She gave a loud scream as she forced the blade completely through.

Its head fell to the ground with a heavy crash as miasma and black ichor poured from its mouth, and everything just stopped. The Ghouls ceased movement as everyone stood ready for them. Alyss quickly dropped to her knees and pulled out her first-aid kit to help Jace. After a few moments, the Grimm started disintegrating all around them. It took nearly two minutes for the black dust to clear so everyone could see each other again.

"General!" Raine called to Ironwood and glanced at Jace's leg, "Did you bring any medics with you!?"

Ironwood glanced over and saw Jace on the ground, then motioned for three of his men to follow. Jace glanced at his thigh and saw that Alyss had stopped the blood from pouring from it and was working on rubbing disinfectant along the edges of the gash. He felt himself breathing heavily as everything seemed to calm down for the moment.

"Jace, is everything alright? What did you do a few moments ago?" Ironwood kneeled next to Jace and the three medics followed. One went to Alex and motioned for him to sit.

"I… When me and Genesis broke out of that place, we saw the Grimm and started focusing our aura with the dust," Jace winced as one of the medics applied pressure to his wound, "We sent out huge blasts of dust and it took out a good amount of Grimm. But that made our arms go numb for a few minutes. What I did was more than that, I shot a huge ball of fire back then, now I shot a beam of electricity at a Dragon… My whole body… I couldn't feel it…"

"Hey, I only need one of you guys to help me," Jace glanced up and saw the gash on Alyss' face, "Someone close the cut on her cheek."

One of the medics nodded and motioned for Alyss to take a seat on the ground. She did and the woman quickly cleaned her wound and put a couple patches over it. Alyss thanked her and the medic nodded.

"Go see if anyone else needs assistance." Ironwood told her and she quickly left to see the others.

"And these ears… They came from the Faunus DNA," Jace started to explain, "It reacted to Alyss' scent and it thinks I'm a cat Faunus. They grew when we were in Anima."

"Just know that I don't think of you any differently." Ironwood told him.

He turned and addressed the teen that looked eerily similar to Jace. "Who are you?" He asked Alex.

"I'm-FUCK!" He yelled out as the medic put pressure on his wound, "Um… that's not my name, sir. My parents weren't that bad… I'm Alex Reznor. Jace's brother by blood."

Ironwood's eyes went wide. "I didn't know you had any surviving family, Jace."

"Neither did I until we met on Connor's ship," Jace replied, "He was a Storm, but he got away from their abuse. I'm letting him use our last name."

"And I'm grateful for it." Alex added.

Ironwood nodded and held his right hand out to Alex. "Pleasure to meet you, Alex. Are you a student?"

Alex shook his hand. "I was. Up until I left and joined Connor's crew."

"Interesting…" Ironwood said to himself.

"Too bad this isn't over yet," Jace looked to his left to see Auron and Raine coming over with _Legacy_ , "Thanks."

"I swear, all o' this fightin' is gettin' tiresome." Auron set the sword down next to Jace. He looked at his own left arm and saw multiple cuts ruining his duster with blood and tears along with the left side of it being torn open from the Tyrant.

"You kids shouldn't even have to fight this much yet. You're all still students." Ironwood responded with a sigh and went to check on his soldiers.

"Alex…" Jace let out a laugh, "You just yelled fuck almost in Ironwood's face… The general of the Atlesian military."

"I understand that and I'm surprised I'm alive." Alex replied and inspected his blade.

Raine looked around and saw Vivi talking with Jax. She made sure Jace was alright and walked over to the cat Faunus. She saw her coming and gave a smile toward her. "Raine, this one is glad that you're okay."

Raine gave a sigh of relief and hugged her tightly. "I'm glad you're okay too."

"I don't think anyone has taken any fatal injuries," Jax smiled to himself at the two in front of him and looked around, "The ones that seem to have taken the most of it is one of the two cousins with a laceration along his stomach, but he is being tended to as well. Then there is Jace and, I believe Alex is his name."

"Oh, that reminds me," Vivi glanced away from Raine and noticed Jax's eye, "How can you see from your eye?"

Jax smiled and motioned over to where Jace was, with his girlfriend sitting by his side. "Alyss. When those four were in Mistral, she offered to heal my eye for helping with the Crimson Lance. She healed Erron's lungs as well. She is a very caring girl."

Raine looked over to the two and saw Alyss holding Jace's hand as his leg was being wrapped in bandages. She smiled and leaned closer to Vivi. "She really is. I'm glad those two are happy."

"This one is too." Vivi agreed.

Raine took a look to the top of the tower and used her semblance. Her smile twisted into a frown as she saw a figure looking down over the edge at everyone. "This isn't over."

"No. It's not."

Raine turned and saw Qrow standing behind them. "How is she gonna be dealt with?"

Qrow gave a deep sigh. He hated what he was about to say.

"I think Ruby's gonna do it."

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: One more chapter to go in the new Battle of Beacon. And there was the last new Grimm I came up with in the Ghouls. They're supposed to sound like the zombies from Call of Duty.**

 **See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	63. Chapter 62: The Punishment Due

**The Punishment Due**

"What do you mean by that? How can she go against the one that brought a whole kingdom down?" Vivi asked incredulously.

Qrow took a deep breath and looked back at the blue and black haired Faunus. "It's no secret now that she's got power. The power of the silver eyes. Supposed to be a legend, but it's real. _Damn_ real.

"I've heard that before," Raine said, "Isn't it said that a Silver-Eyed Warrior could strike fear into the heart of any Grimm with their powers?"

"Yep. That's the one, as real as the One-Winged Angels and your leader knows that one pretty damn well."

"And that's what Ruby is? A Silver-Eyed Warrior?" Raine asked in disbelief, "That's something I never thought I'd hear…"

"Same with me when Jace told about how he was saved," Qrow sighed a bit, "The silver eyes… That's how she took the Dragon down and what saved us when it all fell," He hesitated and shook his head, "Whatever Cinder is, Ruby has the best chance out of anyone to take her down."

"And what _is_ Cinder, exactly?" Jax asked and crossed his arms.

"Look, I don't know. None of us-"

"I don't think you understand exactly how much the Rangers know," Vivi stated and looked to Raine, "Go see if your team is alright." She nodded and walked off to the others after casting a glance back at Vivi.

Qrow looked at them both and opened his mouth to speak. "I don't-"

"If you aren't aware, it is part of a Ranger's duty to know things," Jax let his arms fall to his sides and looked up at the tower, "And we know about the Maidens." He said quietly to the Huntsman.

Qrow looked between them in shock and glanced around to make sure no one was near. "How?"

Vivi tugged on her cloak without taking her eyes from Qrow. "This one was assigned to the Valesian council. I was tasked to overlook everything that its members do, that includes watching over Beacon and Ozpin's office."

"I know that much, but how do you know? Our meetings were secret."

"I was in the corner of Ozpin's office when you went to him with the news of what happened to Amber. After you left, Ozpin talked to me. He knew I was listening to your conversation."

"So Oz decided not to do anything about it?"

"He did, but not how you think. He told me everything since I learned about the Fall Maiden. He told me to tell the Rangers because of our ability to keep secrets, maybe even better than you, Ironwood, or Glynda. We stood by ready to help if anything happened."

"What about your apprentices?" Qrow looked back toward Raine, "They get put on teams of young, gossiping students. Something could slip."

"They won't be told until they graduate and become a full fledged Ranger and after they swear to secrecy."

Qrow sighed and shook his head. "Damn, I guess it can't be helped with you Rangers hanging around."

Multiple reports rang out and the three turned to see Ruby and Yang sailing to the top of the tower, followed by Weiss and Blake traveling by glyphs. Everyone could only watch them go as they all took care of their wounds.

"And I guess all we can do is wait." Qrow said and took a deep breath.

* * *

Raine sat next to her team as they all stared up to the top of the tower in nervousness. They all knew that this was the last moments of the battle and, at the moment, it was up to team RWBY.

"This is the last bit o' the fight an' we can't do a damn thing." Auron remarked and took care of the cuts on his arm.

"I'm halfway useless now," Alex said and looked to his left arm, "I can't use my arm. So I'm good with not doing anything up there."

Jace ran his fingers along the length of _Standoff_ and turned to look at them. "With what they did to the Dragon, I'm sure they can end it without us."

A large flash came from the tower as Alyss gripped Jace's hand. "I'm sure they can too. We've come so far, haven't we?"

"Yeah. We really did." Jace rubbed the top of her hand with his thumb and stared at _Standoff_ in his lap.

"What about what _you_ did to the Dragon?" Alex asked Jace, "The hell was that?"

"Umm…" Jace started and gave a small grin, "Last blast…"

"What?" Alyss asked as she looked at him, "Is that what you saw in a show as a kid?"

"Hey, at least I didn't scream the name of it…"

"So you just copied a move from from Dragon Dust? Really?" Alex laughed loudly and held his side, " _Really_?"

"Shut up… It worked, didn't it?"

"I ain't conplainin'." Auron said with a grin.

"Just don't make a habit of it," Raine said, "Being on the ground for ten minutes doesn't help."

"Trust me… that's hopefully never gonna happen again." Jace replied.

"Hey Jace," Jace looked behind him and saw Michael and Liza approaching him, "Can we talk about that now?"

"Hey," Alex whispered quietly to Jace, "Are these those two assholes you told me about?"

Jace nodded, to both questions, and the two sat down across from him, not too close but not overly far away. "Before you ask, these ears were caused by experiments. Ironwood told you about that, right?"

Both of them nodded. "And the Faunus DNA reacted with my girlfriend's scent and it thinks I'm a cat Faunus like her. That's all I can say."

"Okay…" Michael and Liza said.

"So… Why did you two come here?"

"I said that we thought you two ran away because you couldn't handle the training and schoolwork." Liza said uncomfortably.

Michael took a deep breath and looked down. "Ironwood told us about everything that happened to you guys. Being… umm-"

Jace sighed. "I _just_ said it… I don't care if you do too." Jace said after he noticed his hesitation.

"Right, yeah… He told us that you guys were kidnapped and… _used_. He told us and gave us a choice to either be expelled for our low grades, or we could actually improve ourselves. We stayed."

"I'm sorry for buttin' in," Auron looked at the two for a moment, "But that don't answer his question."

"Yeah, right. Sorry," Liza bit her lip and looked down, "When Ruby and the other three were in Atlas, they went to talk with the General. We were seeing him in his office when they walked in. When they were finished, we offered to come here with Ironwood and the other three when the time came. We've been training a lot."

"I've noticed," Jace remarked honestly, then sighed, "But _why_?"

"We wanted to make it up to you, to help you out for all the crap we put you through." Michael explained.

"And to say we're sorry for all of that and thinking you just ran away." Liza added.

Jace's expression toward them lightened to a small smile. "You two really have been trying to get better haven't you?" They nodded and Jace sighed a bit, "That's one more good thing that came from it all I guess."

"What the hell could've been good from that?" Michael asked in confusion.

"A lot of things, actually. I met a lot of people, I have friends, I got to see a new place, it kept it from happening to more people, I met my brother," Jace smiled and gripped Alyss hand tighter as he glanced at her, "I met the person that helped me through everything, and I met my new team."

"I didn't expect to hear about a different brother…" Michael said and looke at Alex, "I guess that's why you two look similar."

"Yep." Alex answered.

"All of that because you were kidnapped?" Liza asked Jace.

"Yeah. All of it. The only reason I'm even remotely glad it happened is because no one else has to suffer through that."

"Well, we're sorry for everything back in Atlas." Michael said to him.

Jace smiled and nodded. "I never thought I could say this to you two, but I forgive you."

"Thanks." They both said and smiled as the two held each other's hand.

A beam of fire, a loud explosion and a bright flash came from the top of the tower and everyone looked up to see Blake falling from it, followed by some of her clones. She tossed _Gambol Shroud_ towards the top and caught hold of something, then pulled herself up much to everyone's relief. Her clones dissipated into dust as another flash of light came.

Then came the roars.

The group looked around and saw Grimm coming for them again. This time it was the regular Grimm. No Ghouls, no Tyrants, no Armaddons, and their eyes had their normal red glow. It only looked to be nothing but small Beowulves and Ursai, young and inexperienced.

"Damn, I wish I would've brought _Twin Fang_ and _Carnage_." Jace sighed as he slowly stood up. He placed his brother's sword on his back and picked _Legacy_ up off the ground.

"And I wish I could feel my God damn arm!" Alex said with a dry laugh.

Auron came to his feet and stood behind Jace. "You sure you can still fight?" He asked them both.

"Halfway useless, but not completely." Alex replied and gripped _Celosia_ tightly in his right hand.

Jace shook his head. "No I'm not sure. But I'm not gonna sit out while everyone else does."

"You're good kids," The two brothers glanced over to see Connor and Viktor coming closer toward them. Connor grinned as he held his stomach from where it had been bandaged, "If not a bit stupid."

Jace let himself grin at the words. "And you're gonna fight with that along your gut?"

"Never claimed to be smart." Connor replied while transforming his axe into its ranged form.

"Never was." Viktor set his glaive on his shoulder and waited for the Grimm.

Connor looked at his cousin with a huff. "Shut up Vik."

The Grimm drew closer as Connor and Jace fired on them with the last rounds in their weapons. The young Grimm came down easily under the power behind Jace's rounds and the sheer quantity of Connor's. Liza took two of her vials of dust and let it loose in the air, then swept her hands across them and sent fireballs and shards of ice toward the Grimm, impaling and immolating them.

Auron stepped in front of them after they finished their attacks and took a deep breath. He gathered his aura for one last use of his semblance and stomped the ground, sending spiked pillars from the ground and toward the Grimm. The Grimm got to them and the ones in front were impaled by the spike wall Auron created.

It fell after a few moments and Grimm surrounded them. Viktor, Alyss, Auron, and Raine took the most of them giving Jace, Alex, and Connor an easier time with the few they fought. Connor sent the blade of his axe into the shoulder of a Beowulf and cut it diagonally in half, then twisted around to swing it sideways to cut down two more.

Jace tried to keep his weight off his right leg as he swung _Legacy_ through the neck of an Ursa. He unconsciously switched weight to his right leg to keep balance and it buckled in pain and he fell to his knee. He brought _Legacy_ up to block a lunge from a Beowulf, it struck his sword and Connor sent his axe over Jace and into the Grimm. Alex was there next to them and sliced the Grimm away from them.

Connor helped Jace to his feet quickly as more Grimm came toward them. Auron caught a Beowulf diving for the three and impaled it through the chest. He used his strength to send it crashing into the other Grimm as he stood closer to the three injured fighters. Raine jumped by and slashed at another Beowulf's neck as it tried to make it past Auron. She stood back to back with Auron as Alyss arrived at them and sliced an Ursa's paw off. Raine saw it and stabbed into its jaw as the group stood closely together.

Jace started hearing heavy buzzing, almost like a chainsaw, but couldn't place it. Arrows started piercing through every Grimm in front of them, giving them all a bit of a breather. Raine looked around quickly and saw where the arrows came from, finding her father making his way over to them. He put his longbow on his back and brought his knives from his bracers, then quickly moved through and stabbed into the Grimms' heads, necks, and chests.

A Beowulf lunged at him and the Ranger jumped up and stomped into its head with the knives protruding from the heels of his boots. He jumped from Grimm to Grimm as he made his way to his daughter, killing every one he leaped from. Halt jumped from the last Beowulf and pulled his arrows back to him with his aura.

"Raine, what happened to your arrows?" He asked as he brought his bow out and set an arrow on the string.

"A Tyrant broke them all." She answered him levelly.

"You'll have to explain what those are later," Halt brought a spare quiver of arrows from under his cloak and handed them to Raine, "Let's thin these numbers out for now."

Raine took them and sheathed her sword. She placed the arrows in her quiver and unslung _Amaranth_. She and Halt shot their arrows around at the Grimm that surrounded them, giving the others ample time to rest themselves.

"Where are the others at?" Raine asked and pulled her arrows back to her.

"Still clearing Grimm from the classrooms. We received help from an unlikely source."

"Who is it?"

Halt tilted his head at the sounds of a chainsaw and turned back to Raine. "You'll see soon."

A large ball of fire came from the top of the tower and crashed into the Grimm closest to Vivi and Jax, sending them flying away. Raine watched with her eyes wide open as she saw them both land in the middle of more Grimm.

"You two go help them!" Jace called to the Rangers. He turned and cut into a Beowulf that swung its claws at him.

"Are you sure?" Halt asked back.

"I'm sure."

Halt looked to Raine and he saw the fear that showed in her eyes. "Come on, Raine."

She nodded and followed Halt past the Grimm, casting a worried glance back to her team as they fought on. A Grimm dove toward her but a figure in a white and black outfit stopped it and crushed it's head with his mace. She caught a glance at the back of his outfit and grew confused.

"What are the White Fang doing here!?" She asked her father in shock.

"You can ask their former lieutenant." Halt answered as they came to the spot where Vivi and Jax landed.

Raine stopped and stared at the towering Faunus that stood over the two Rangers, protecting them while a few of his soldiers helped get them back to their senses. An Ursa came at him and Banesaw, as he was known as, sawed it in two. He brought his weapon back around sawed through five Grimm easily. Raine noticed first thing that they didn't wear their masks anymore.

"B-Banesaw!?" She exclaimed in shock.

"I take it this is your daughter, Ranger?" The large Faunus asked Halt.

"She is. She has a question for you." Halt answered him.

Raine could only stare in shock at just seeing him there. After all the things he'd caused along with the White Fang, here he was now, helping mostly humans fight off the Grimm to take back Beacon.

"What would you like to ask, Ranger?" Banesaw asked the hesitating girl.

"Why are you here helping us?"

"After Blake killed Adam and those two beat every one of us in that warehouse, she addressed us all," He sawed through more Grimm that came against them and Raine started loosing her arrows into them now, "We… we were blind. Khan's goal had us going down a dangerous path. Adam was corrupted by it. We all were, but not Blake. She opened our eyes, so to speak. Fear isn't equality. Fear only brings more hatred and division, violence breeds violence…" Raine sent an arrow past his head and into the head of a Beowulf.

"I can't atone for everything, but I will try. From this day forward, I will bear the emblem of the old Fang," He ripped the white and red vest from his torso and threw it at a Grimm's face, then he sawed it down the middle, "and I will fight against Khan's vision in the name of true equality. Like we should have kept doing."

Raine thought over what he said as she fired arrow after arrow into the Grimm along with Halt. "I'm glad you're helping us now."

"Thank you for accepting our assistance."

"Vivi, Jax, how are you both doing?" Raine asked the injured Rangers.

Vivi growled in annoyance and stood up. "My knee hurts and my tail is fucking burnt."

Jax stood up and a bit of smoke billowed from his mouth as he glared at the Grimm and twirled his scimitars. "My tail is burned as well."

"I thought you two always wrapped your tails around your waists?" Halt asked them as he called his arrows back.

"It was a big blast of fire." Vivi answered him and threw off her cloak for more movement. She separated her bow into swords and stood next to Raine.

"You two and your tails." Raine said and sighed in relief.

"Some of us don't have the luxury of keeping our tails safe like that." Halt grumbled.

"Maybe if you were a woman then you'd have ears like me and Em." Raine grinned at him.

"Our family _has_ been weird like that. Your grandpa, me, and Gilan all have tails because we're the men of the family."

"And me and her got the ears. That _is_ weird."

Jace, Alex, Connor, Alyss, Viktor and Auron held out against the Grimm easier when Ironwood and some of his soldiers arrived and helped them out. That was until a fireball came down in the middle of them and blasted them away from each other. Jace landed on his back and the air was knocked out of his lungs.

He turned over and came to his knees as he saw a battle-scarred Cinder flying down to the ground in a fireball. She landed and stood, then moved toward everyone. She launched more fire toward them, hitting everyone and everything with small balls of flame and scorching them through their low or depleted aura.

"You will not stop her! You cannot stop her!" Cinder yelled at them all.

She came up to them as the group laid on the ground and stopped in front of Jace. "I remember you… You stood in the way of destiny that night. You should be dead."

"If you think I should be dead…" Jace looked up and glared at the woman, "Then sorry about your damn luck." He gave an act of defiance and raised both his fists up in front of her, then he raised his middle fingers to her.

"Hmm. I believe this is your end." Cinder said and placed her hand to Jace's cheek.

A howl from behind Jace took Cinder's attention as Fenrir crashed into her and bit into her arm. She scowled in annoyance and sent searing heat trough her arm, but Tyr deactivated his semblance and left her vulnerable. Nora came in and smashed her hammer towards her, but she backtracked and dodged. Jaune came up right behind his teammate and thrusted his spear forward, scoring a glancing blow against her side.

Cinder glared at Jaune and tilted her head. "Those colors…" She growled and sent a fireball at him.

Jaune ducked behind his shield as Ren flashed by from behind and struck at her exposed back. She turned and sent a wave of fire toward him, nearly scorching him until Nora ran forward and smashed her with _Magnhild_. Cinder was sent skidding backwards as Jaune charged her. She raised her arm toward him to send a fireball, but was met with a surprising result.

As the fireball struck Jaune, his body glowed white and the fire was reflected back toward his attacker.

"What!?" Cinder exclaimed and tried to throw another fireball, but was met with failure again as the fireball hit her instead.

"Your powers can't help you," Jaune said and came at her again with his blade, "Not anymore."

Cinder brought her dual blades from her back and blocked Jaune's strike, then slammed them into his shield. "No matter. I will end you."

"No!" Jaune yelled and transformed his spear to sword, "You won't kill any more people! You won't kill any more of my friends!" He bashed his shield forward and struck in a slash with his sword.

She blocked the attack with one of her blades and sent the pommel of the other over Jaune's shield and into his head before he could use his semblance, knocking him down and dazing him.

"You just don't understand, do you?" Cinder said to them all, "You cannot derail her will. Many have tried and they all failed…"

Jace looked up from where he was and saw a blur of red moving toward Cinder from the tower. Jaune saw her and jumped up quickly, then he bashed his shield forward and thrusted his blade past it, hitting Cinder and drawing a gash in her side. Jaune grinned as she turned her glare back to him. "When will you learn!?" She yelled and moved toward Jaune.

Ruby arrived and brought the blade of _Crescent Rose_ into Cinder's legs, causing her to topple over to the ground. Jaune's last attack had taken her aura down the rest of the way. Ruby brought her scythe back and slashed them across to immobilize Cinder's arms so she couldn't strike with any surprises. Yang, Blake, and Weiss arrived as Ruby stood over Cinder.

"Where the sky bleeds red and the ground is scorched black. That is where you will find her…" Cinder stared upwards and her face started showing black veins around her eyes. She grabbed hold of Ruby's ankle weakly and she looked down at her. Her eyes lost their amber glow and were a faded and dull orange now as she had a different, pleading look to her.

"Please… listen," Cinder pleaded, "My soul is bound to her… she'll only keep using me for as long as she sees fit. Right now, her control is broken… It was never my choice… T-tell Emerald that I am sorry. When this body dies… I will give you this power that I stole… you will be the Fall Maiden… P-please… f-free my soul…"

Ruby was stunned by the request and nodded slowly. She pointed the barrel of _Crescent Rose_ into Cinder's chest and closed her eyes as she pulled the trigger. She fell to her knees out of exhaustion and Yang walked up to her and put a hand on her shoulder. They all glanced down to Cinder's body and saw that she started disintegrating into the air as the Grimm in the area dropped dead.

"A Grimm? How did she have an aura?" Yang asked as the last bit of Cinder turned to dust and blew away.

Blake moved to sit beside Ruby and let out a deep sigh of exasperation, followed by Yang and Weiss sitting down as well.

"So is that it? Is it done?" Jaune asked and looked around nervously.

"I… I think we did it," Ruby looked up and looked through everyone around the courtyard.

"We won."

* * *

Jace and Alyss sat in the Bullhead as it flew their team toward the docks along with Vivi. Raine and Vivi fell asleep as they held hands and they were close to dozing off as well. The only thing keeping Jace awake was the pain in his thigh. Auron sat in his seat and looked out to the city, unconsciously opening and closing his fist.

"How's your leg?" Alyss asked Jace and leaned against his shoulder.

"Still hurts. But I don't care," He looked to where his blades were leaning, then back to Alyss, "I have _Standoff_ back and everyone's okay. That's all I care about."

Alyss chuckled and laid her head on him. "I'm gonna have my work cut out for me when I get rested, aren't I?"

"I don't think anyone will force you to heal everyone after what we all did."

"I'm still gonna do it."

Jace smiled and kissed her on her cat ear. "I know you are."

Alyss purred and did the same, making him purr as well. She pushed her head against his shoulder and looked at Auron. "Hey Auron, why didn't you get _Jackhammer_ yet?" She asked the tall gunslinger.

"I figured I'd wait 'till we clean up the school. It'll probably start in a few days," Auron replied and looked over to the two, "Need to get my damn hat back too."

"That makes sense," Jace stifled a yawn and leaned his head against Alyss', "There's more than enough Hunters and Rangers here that can clear out sections of the city at a time and we'll have enough people to help rebuild around the school too."

Alyss yawned and closed her eyes. "I say we should just rest now."

The bullheads and the _Ravensword_ landed at the docks and everyone filed out of them. Alyss led Jace straight to the clinic along with Connor, Alex, Vivi, and Raine while Auron found Jax when he exited the _Ravensword_.

"How long are you stayin' here?" Auron asked the Ranger.

"For a few days for the moment. I will need to return to Mistral soon."

"Can you try to wait 'till we start to rebuild the school?"

"I suppose I could. Why?"

"I'm gonna have somethin' for you to take back to mom an' Preacher."

Jax nodded in understanding of what Auron meant. "I will stay until then. Now, go rest. We all need it."

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: And there it is. Cinder is dealt with and Beacon can be reclaimed. For Jaune's semblance, I went off of what we saw during the whole bullying arc. Makes sense for it to be reflective. Now it's time for things to maybe calm down.**

 **See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	64. Chapter 63: Redesign, Rebuild, Reclaim

**Redesign, Rebuild, Reclaim**

"It is good to see you all returned safely," Glynda said to everyone in their makeshift meeting room after everyone had been tended to, "We are free to move to Beacon and rebuild, correct?"

Ironwood nodded from where he sat near her. "Yes, Glynda. I will return to Atlas tomorrow and have them send the men and supplies to rebuild the tower. We still have the issue of Ozpin missing, though."

"I know, James," Glynda sighed and turned to all the students there, then sighed in relief once more, "Please, go rest yourselves," She said to them all and they started to file out of the building with Jace being last, "Mr. Reznor, there has been a child and his mother asking about you and Ms. Wystar. I will direct them to you tomorrow."

Jace smiled and nodded. "Alright. Thank you Ms. Goodwitch." Jace said and turned to leave.

"We need to find out where she meant…" Jace heard Glynda say to Ironwood as he left the building.

He met up with his team and they went straight for the hotel on the docks that they stayed at. They went for their room and Jace laid _Standoff_ and _Legacy_ on his bed. He noticed how similar the two were in sheer size. _Legacy_ had the moving parts and artillery rifle inside of it while _Standoff_ was essentially a large, tempered chunk of sharpened Atlesian steel. Jace let himself smile again at finally having his brother's sword back.

"It's gonna take a long time to get you cleaned up." He said before he leaned the two swords against the wall next to the bed.

He took his boots off and sat on the bed, then Alyss joined him. "Emerald was right about everything. She told the truth." She glanced at Jace to see his reaction, and he gave a small smile.

"She did. She deserves her chance."

"Jax'll be headin' to Mistral after we start rebuildin' Beacon. He'll let Erron an' Emowyn know that she can come over to help now." Auron said and laid down on his bed.

"Good," Raine fell into her bed and yawned, "The sooner that happens, the sooner the whole city can be cleared."

"I wonder how long it'll take for Preacher to get over here," Auron said with a grin, "I know he's gonna come see for himself."

"I wouldn't know, but he'll be loud about it," Raine answered with a laugh, then she turned to Jace and Alyss, "Are you two gonna have your scritching session?"

Jace pulled Alyss down onto the bed with him and immediately reached a hand up to scritch her ears. "Oh yeah we are."

Alyss started purring just as immediately. " _Hmmmm_ … Today's been a long day…" She said and started doing the same with Jace's ears.

He gave a sigh of happiness and started purring with her. "These ears are just… the _best_."

"Listening to cat purrs is really relaxing, honestly…" Raine remarked.

"What do you think Auron?" Alyss asked her partner, "You think it's relaxing?"

"He's already asleep." Raine told her with a grin.

"Hmm… that sounds like a good idea," Alyss said and kissed Jace on the lips, "Let's sleep. We can continue this some other time."

"Morning. We're continuing in the morning." Jace said with a tired smile.

"Right. Morning."

* * *

Team JKDW woke up to find out that Ironwood had already left for Atlas on the _Ravensword_ and RWBY and JNR were talking with Glynda about something. After Jace and Alyss' thirty minute-long scritching session, they walked out of the hotel and went to a bench near the water with Alex. They noticed that the former White Fang lieutenant and his men were helping out as much as they could with things around the docks, always given cautious glares by the civilians. Ironwood had allowed them to help after Blake and Banesaw explained everything that happened, and the large Faunus was grateful for the chance.

"Holy shit… I can't believe we did it." Alex remarked as he looked at his left arm, wrapped up and in a sling.

"You've said that four times today and I'm with you," Jace said, "It's crazy-"

"Raine."

They turned and saw Vivi and Halt coming up to them. Raine stood up and hugged them both. "I'm glad you're both alright."

"This one's knee is still hurt. But it's okay." Vivi said with a smile.

"Oh I'm alright, don't worry," Halt said and motioned for her to follow, "Come on, we need to talk about something." He said and Raine knew what he meant by that. She blushed and followed after him and Vivi turned to follow as well.

"Talk to you later, my fellow cat Faunus." Vivi said to Jace and Alyss.

Jace let out a small smile. "I'm glad everyone's just been so accepting that I just changed races."

"Don't know what you'd expect," Auron said, "They're your friends. Of course they'd still accept ya. You just look a bit different."

"And good Oum I'm thankful for it."

"When do you think things'll go back to normal?" Alyss asked the group.

Jace sighed and leaned his head back. "I honestly don't think that things can go back to normal completely. It'll be peaceful for sure, but the memory of all of this will stick."

"We got our school back an' all those people can hopefully rest easy. I think it'll be alright," Auron crossed his arms and closed his eyes as he sat there. He opened them back up as a cooler breeze blew by and chilled his left side and arm. "I really need to fix my coat."

"Why are you wearing it with all the cuts and tears in it?" Alyss asked him.

"Force o' habit. I've fixed my old one before, so at least I know I can." Auron replied and looked over the left arm of it.

"And why aren't you wearing a jacket?" She asked Alex.

"Oh please. I've lived in Solitas my whole life. This weather is like paradise." Alex grinned.

"Damn right about that." Jace agreed.

"Jace!"

Jace turned and saw Jaune, Ren, and Nora walking toward them. He stood and smiled at them as they came to a stop near the bench. "Hey guys. I'm glad to see you're alright."

"You too Jace." Jaune replied with a small smile.

"You don't have to worry about us asking about your kitty ears because Ruby told us how you got them earlier. _Weird_." Nora told him, looking up at his ears with a bit of a smile.

"You're staring, dear." Ren told her.

"Oh!" Nora quickly looked down, "Sorry! Just not used to you having them like Alyss.

Jace laughed. "It's alright. I don't mind if you stare at them."

"So… that spear?" Auron asked and looked at Jaune's sword.

"Oh yeah," Jaune said and took his sword out, then he transformed his new blade into its spear form with the blade retracting into a smaller tip and the hilt extending into a long shaft. "Ruby helped me make it back at Jace's house. I wanted it so I can try to honor Pyrrha better."

"So I got a shield an' you got a spear?" Auron asked with a small grin, "I'd say we both gotta get better with 'em."

"That reminds me…" Jace said and looked to Ren. Now that Jace could pay attention, Ren looked different than the last time he'd seen him. He wore white pants that went into his boots with the bottom of the legs loose and baggy. He wore a black shirt like his old green one, except it was sleeveless and had two long coattails to it. His hair also grew out as well, wild-looking and reaching to his lower spine.

"Did you put that emblem on Genesis' headstone?" Jace asked him.

"I did. It was a beautiful area. Thank you for trusting me with it." Ren said with a nod.

"Thanks, Ren. You have no idea how much that means to me."

"Every time he meditated, he went there," Jaune said and glanced to Nora, "It even calmed Nora down some."

"Hey!" Nora pointed a finger at him, "I don't need to be calm. Ren does that enough for me. Right, Renny?" Jace noticed that she wore a wide belt and a black jacket with red along the inside. The heart on her chest had a mark over it now too. Like a scar.

Ren gave a smile toward her. "Of course, dear."

"I don't think it works like that." Jaune said to her.

"Did you guys see the meteor shower?" Alyss asked.

"Yeah, we did! It was _sooo_ pretty!" Nora said, taking her focus from Jaune and looking to the sky.

"Yeah… I wish Pyrrha could've been here to see it." Jaune said sadly.

"I think we can all say the same thing." Jace sighed and looked down.

"Y'know, I bet she could still see it," Auron said with a small smile, "She's watchin' everyone here, remember?"

Jaune's mouth lifted into a smile. "Yeah… you're right."

"What were you guys talkin' to Glynda about anyway?" Auron asked them.

"We'll be going with RWBY to the island in the northwest." Ren answered.

"The one that kinda looks like a dragon?"

"Yes. It is at the westernmost point, where it is shaped like a dragon head."

"How did you find out that's where Cinder said?" Alyss asked.

"Professor Wolfe told Glynda. He said that's the only place in the world with red skies and ground that's about as black as coal." Jaune answered.

"When do you go?" Jace asked.

"Next week. It gives us time to prepare and rest." Ren answered this time.

"Want any backup?

"It would be nice, but," Jaune shook his head and looked through the three in front of him, "Any more than who's going already could draw attention to us."

"Alright, good luck then."

* * *

Alyss was nearly knocked over when something pushed against her and latched onto her. She turned in surprise and smiled when she saw the dog Faunus boy looking up at her, tail wagging in happiness.

"You've grown since the last time we've seen you." She said and placed her hand on Jack's shoulder.

"Yeah! Two birthdays worth!" He said and let go of her to hug Jace.

"Happy late birthday then. How old are you now?" Jace asked and noticed Caitlyn coming up to them.

"I just turned ten last month." Jack answered.

"Hello you two." Caitlyn greeted them with a smile.

"Good to see you again, Caitlyn. How've you been?" Alyss asked her.

"We've been good, really. We didn't even know you both were here when you arrived a few months ago."

"You could've just followed the sounds of everyone sparring with each other." Jace said with a grin.

"It can't be helped I guess," Caitlyn smiled and ruffled her son's hair a bit, "I'm glad you're both okay."

"We wouldn't be if it wasn't for Equality, honestly." Alyss said. Banesaw had formed the group from their abandonment of the Fang. For the moment, they had no emblem, but the old White Fang emblem was being worked on by a group of tailors within the newfound organization. He had said the name needed worked with, but it would do for now.

"Yes, I've noticed they're helping with everything around here. It's strange."

"I'm guessing Mabari told you about my ears, right?" Jace asked and twitched them around.

"Yes, he did. I couldn't believe it until now." Caitlyn answered.

"You and Alyss have matching ears! It's so cool!" Jack exclaimed.

"It really is," Jace agreed, "I can move them like I've always had them and its amazing when they're scratched."

"I feel awkward just standin' here." Auron remarked and waved at the mother and son.

"Same." Alex said.

Jace and Alyss grinned and shook their heads. "We forgot to introduce you guys. Caitlyn, Jack, these three are Alex, Raine and Auron. Alex is my brother and Auron and Raine are our teammates. And guys, these two are Jack and Caitlyn. We helped them from back before our initiation." Jace introduced them all.

"Oh, Raine! It's been so long since I've seen you. How has Halt been?" Caitlyn asked the apprentice.

"He's good. It's good seeing you're alright." Raine answered with a smile.

"And it's nice to meet you Auron. Alex." Caitlyn greeted them with a smile.

"You too ma'am." Auron replied and nodded to her.

"I've been meeting a lot of friendly people thanks to Jace." Alex remarked with a smile.

"Are you a cowboy?" Jack asked Auron and looked up to him.

"He's more of a gunslinger." Jace answered with a grin.

"I still need to fix this stupid coat." Auron said and looked at his left sleeve.

"What about you?" Jack asked Alex.

"Me? Oh, well… I guess I'm just a guy that uses a katana with my feet sometimes." Alex said to him.

"Can you show me sometime?" Jack asked. Alex grinned and nodded. "Awesome!" Jack exclaimed and his tail started to wag, then he turned to Raine, "What about you?"

"Oh, you've never gotten the chance to meet her," Caitlyn said to her son and grinned at Raine, "Do you want to tell him?"

Raine grinned back and nodded. "I'm an apprentice Ranger. We're the silent Huntsmen, pretty much."

"All except for one." Auron muttered under his breath and caused Raine to chuckle.

Caitlyn sniffed the air and turned back toward Jace and Alyss. "Are you two…?" She started and the two nodded their heads, "I'm happy for you both." She said with a smile.

"Thank you." They both replied to her.

"I take it Mabari's out in the city?" Raine asked her.

"He is. He'll be alright though, I know it." Caitlyn answered with a smile.

Caitlyn looked between Jace and Alyss and smiled more. "I'm glad you're both happy together. Oh! I almost forgot!" She said and held out a bag she had brought, "It's not much to thank you with, but would you like some apples? They're from Calm."

"Hey! That's my home village!" Raine grinned and took an apple.

"You don't have to thank us, but I'll take one." Jace said and grabbed an apple as well. He took a bite of it and his eyes widened, "Do Faunus have a greater sense of taste too?" He asked the other Faunus, "Because this is a lot better than any apple I've ever had."

"Same here. I ain't never had an apple this good." Auron said.

"This is Calm's specialty. The fruits and other stuff they grow us just so good because of the fertile ground." Raine explained.

"It's easily my second favorite thing now." Jace said and took another large bite of the juicy apple.

"What's your favorite?" Alyss asked with an innocent smile.

"Is that really a question? It's you of course."

"Sappy." Auron, Raine, and Alex said.

"Bite me. It's true." Jace told them.

"Here, you can have them all." Caitlyn said and handed him the bag.

"Are you sure?" Alyss asked.

Caitlyn nodded. "I recently made a deal with a farmer from there and I'll be selling their fruits here in Vale. I'll be getting fifty percent of the profits."

"Really? That's really good for you," Raine said with a grin, "You'll sell a lot when people see they're from Calm."

"You got a customer already." Jace told her.

"I'll look forward to it," Caitlyn smiled, "I think we're going to go find something to eat. Stay safe."

"You too, Caitlyn. Bye." Alyss said and waved.

"Bye guys." Jack said and the two turned to leave.

Jace smiled and the group turned to walk on. "I'm glad we got to see them again." He said as he finished off his apple.

"Me too. I'm glad they're alright." Alyss replied.

"And _what_ are you two?" Alex asked Jace and Alyss.

"We're gonna have to explain this to everyone, aren't we?" Jace asked his girlfriend.

"Yeah, it looks like it," She smile and kissed him, then she turned to Alex, "We're in the pre-stage of mating."

"I don't mean to sound insensitive to Faunus culture, but… The fuck is that?"

* * *

The _Ravensword_ touched down in Beacon's courtyard and all who volunteered to help there disembarked. Multiple bullheads carrying supplies and workers landed closer to the tower and everything was dropped off. Jace and his team, along with RWBY, JNR, CRDL, and CFVY went to the dorms to clean them up. JKDW walked on past where the others entered their rooms and eventually came to their door. Jace turned the doorknob and heard the click of the failed lock. The locks had been disengaged since the power grid went offline.

He opened the door and they all entered the room. They could already smell that their beds were moldy from almost two years of disuse, so they knew they would need to be replaced first thing, along with dusting and vacuuming the room. Auron went to move the table from in front of the window and opened it fully. He grabbed his mattress and covers in one go and tossed them out the window.

He turned around and noticed his team staring at him. "What? I ain't carryin' this moldy shit down the stairs."

By the sounds of it, it seemed like the others thought the same way as other beds crashed to the ground outside. Jace shrugged, then he grabbed another bed and tossed it out too. They threw the others out soon after and went to check their clothes. They were surprisingly untouched by the mold so they put them in bags and set them in the hall, they would still need to be cleaned though.

Jace was glad for that since his two favorite shirts were there. The one with the One-Winged Warrior and the _Man In Black_ shirt. Auron worked with taking up the carpet while Jace moved the desks to the hall, along with the table. Auron ripped the carpet up and tossed it out the window as well, then they worked with cleaning the walls and furniture thoroughly.

After two hours of cleaning the room, Auron finally let himself take hold of _Jackhammer_. He put his aura through it and made sure it still transformed well, and it did. He closed his eyes and smiled as he rested the warhammer on his shoulder.

"Now what?" He asked and looked around the barren room.

"I guess we wait until everyone else gets done and we burn all the trash." Jace replied and looked out the window.

* * *

A few of the students gathered around the pile of beds and other destroyed or moldy items. They had decided to have a bit of a bonfire to relax after cleaning the rooms. JKDW, RWBY, and APCT had thrown their moldy beds into the pile and sat around it to wait for CFVY to arrive with theirs. When they arrived, the last of the mattresses were thrown in the makeshift pit.

"So, who's got the matches?" Coco asked them all.

Jace raised his hand as he summoned fire to it, making it glow in the fading light. "Me. Is this everything?"

"Yep. Sky came by with the last bed from his team earlier." Ruby answered.

"Alright." Jace said and sent a small fireball into the mattresses, catching them on fire easily.

"I suppose we can clean out the other foreign dorms as well." Tyr said after a few moments.

"Glynda wouldn't force you to," Yang said to him, "You could probably just relax."

"Nah, Tyr's right," Paige said and wrapped his arm around Terra's shoulder, "We're gonna keep giving our help. She has enough to deal with."

"And we're more than glad to help." Terra added.

"That's what we'll probably be doing too." Raine said.

Jace pulled Grigori's journal from inside his duster and looked at it. Memories came to him of how he barely survived after Genesis died and how they had killed numerous people to give them peace. He remembered the first life he took in order to survive that hell. He took a deep breath and threw the journal into the fire. With it went the painful memories of his past and the last material thing that tied him to the kidnappings.

Alyss held his hand tighter and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm glad you decided to get rid of that."

"I needed to. I didn't need it anymore." Jace pulled her into his lap and started petting her ears for them both to relax more. And Alyss did the same for him.

Ruby and Blake looked to each other and Blake smiled as she tilted her head toward Ruby. "We'll need the relaxation before we go." She said and drew a smile from Ruby.

The diminutive Huntress reached her hand up and rubbed Blake's ears. Weiss glanced over to the two and smiled. "She's not wrong." She said as laid her head on Yang's thigh, causing the brawler to smile.

"Yeah… definitely." Yang said.

"When are we supposed to get new beds?" Raine asked.

"I think either tomorrow or in a few days. I want to sleep in my own bed again." Jace replied to her. Alyss pushed her head into his chest and closed her eyes with a happy _mewl_. The group stayed mostly silent for the rest of the night until the fire died and they left the school grounds.

* * *

RWBY and JNR had left the next day for their mission and Jax had left with Auron's message to his family. Some of the students and teachers worked to straighten things out in Beacon as the Huntsmen and Rangers cleared out the city one section at a time. Jace and Auron helped clear debris from different areas, Raine went with Vivi and Halt to search thoroughly through the whole of Beacon to make sure no Grimm remained.

After healing Jace's leg fully, Alyss remained back at the docks to help with healing any that were still injured, such as Alex, Connor, Dove, Russell, and Mabari when she came across him again. When she asked Cardin or Sky how they avoided injury, Cardin simply replied, 'plate armor.'

With all of the Atlesian work droids there, everything went by quickly and smoothly with the tower's deconstruction due to their lack of need for rest and food. Ironwood sent his specialist, Winter, there while he dealt with business in Atlas to oversee the droids and keep check on how Glynda and Qrow handled everything.

While carrying a large piece of rubble to the back of a truck, aided by his semblance, Jace was approached by the platinum-haired woman. "Excuse me. You are Jace Reznor, correct?"

"Yes I am," Jace set the rubble on the ground and deactivated his semblance as he turned to face her, "What do you need?"

"I am Winter Schnee. I wanted to thank you for assisting my sister when you were able to during your escape."

"Your sister… Weiss?" Winter nodded and Jace smiled, "We just did what we thought we should."

"I still appreciate it. I just wanted to say thank you." Winter turned to walk away.

"Hang on a minute, please." He requested an she turned back around.

"What is it?" She asked him.

"I heard what you said to Qrow about the One-Winged Angels." He said and she shook her head.

"It was really no time for jokes of any kind." She said in annoyance.

"He… probably wasn't joking." Jace told her and she regarded him curiously.

"You are siding with a drunk?" She asked incredulously.

"It's not that, it's just…" Jace took a deep breath and sighed, "After we separated from Weiss and the others, and after we fought those mercenaries and Genesis died, I came across some Beowulves a while later," Jace saw her look of disbelief and sighed again, "They nearly killed me before an Angel helped me out and took me to Patch. If it wasn't for him, I would've died."

"I apologize, but I find this entirely hard to believe." Winter said and narrowed her eyes at him.

"How else can I get from a cliff in Forever Fall to the forest in Patch while unconscious?" Jace asked her, hoping he wasn't sounding rude, "Qrow found me and took care of me for a few days in Forever Fall and Ruby, Yang, and their dad took care of me in Patch. There's no way I could've got there without that Angel."

Winter shook her head as she tried to understand it. "You are telling me that the legend of the One-Winged Angels is real? And that one had helped you survive?" She asked in disbelief and Jace nodded firmly. She shook her head and leveled her gaze on him, "I suppose I've heard wilder things." She said with a sigh.

"I just wanted to try to explain it after what you said to Qrow."

"I will… try to think on it. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to return to my duties." Winter said and turned away, then walked on.

Jace sighed as he picked the piece of rubble up again and carried it on, activating his semblance again to carry it easier. He started to think about everything. He already knew that team RWBY had more people that cared about them than Jace did before he came to Vale. Ruby and Yang had their father, uncle, and all their friends. Weiss had her team, her sister, and Yang. Blake had her team and Ruby.

Jace only had Genesis and Haile before, but that changed. He had good friends now, a team he trusted with his life, a _family_. He had a wonderful girlfriend that he couldn't stand being away from. Michael and Liza had gotten their heads straight and apologized to him. He even had a brother. He made many new friends over the course of time he'd been at Beacon, but so much had happened as well that brought him and his team closer as friends and comrades. Even as a family.

Jace threw the rubble in the back of the truck and deactivated his semblance again, then went to gather more from the base of the tower. He had been at it for a while, deactivating and activating his semblance when he needed to. It wasn't as taxing on his body as he thought it would be. He had been taking the largest pieces he saw to limit the amount that needed to be broken down and carried by others.

He saw that the tower was being demolished the rest of the way to allow for them to rebuild anew. He caught sight of something on the ground and walked to it, then saw that it was Auron's hat that he'd lost in the battle. Jace picked it up and set it on the hilt of _Standoff_ on the left side of his back. He kept both his swords with him. It was actually heavy on his back to carry both of the huge swords around, but he never wanted _Standoff_ away from him if he could help it.

After another few hours of working in that area, he was waiting near the bullhead for the others to return. He sat on a bench and marveled at the peace of the moment. Just a few days ago, he was fighting for his life with his friends classmates, some Huntsmen and Rangers, and his brother to take back their home from a Dragon of all things. Now, it was peaceful and quiet other than the sounds of the the tower being leveled. He dozed off waiting for the others and jerked himself awake thirty minutes later.

He shook his head and yawned as he saw the droids being deactivated for the night. Soon after, he saw Auron, Raine, and Vivi approaching him. Jace took the hat from the hilt of _Standoff_ and held it forward to Auron. Auron smiled and took it, then put it on his head.

"Thanks. We headin' back now?"

"Yeah, let's get going."

* * *

Jace went from the bullhead and went for the hotel room where he figured Alyss would be, considering she'd spent the day healing lingering injuries that people had to deal with. She was probably tired and was already laying down. When he arrived, he was proven wrong and she was nowhere in sight.

He walked over to the bed they shared and found a note for him laying there. He took it and read through it, she wrote that she went to sit near the water for a while. Jace smiled and went from the building to find her. He left _Legacy_ in the room and kept _Standoff_ with him as he walked across the road and along the water's edge. After a few minutes of walking, he saw Alyss sitting and talking with Caitlyn.

They noticed Jace coming and smiled as Caitlyn went to stand. "I hope I helped some, Alyss. Good night."

"Thank you… Good night, Caitlyn." Alyss replied tiredly.

"Hello Jace." Caitlyn greeted when she walked past Jace.

"Hello," Jace greeted back and walked toward Alyss, "So what were you two talking about?" He sat on the bench and put his arm around her shoulders.

"I was just trying to make sure I got the explanation of mating right." She answered with a yawn.

"And did you?"

"She said I got it right," Alyss leaned into his shoulder and yawned again, "I'd like to try it soon." She said quietly.

Jace took a deep breath and smiled. "I do too. But we have to rebuild Beacon and get our room back in order."

Alyss sighed into his shoulder. "Yeah, we do. We get the beds tomorrow… right?"

"Yeah, I asked Glynda earlier before we went to clean up. We can finally sleep in our own room again."

"That's _really_ good to hear. Are we gonna set our room up the same way?"

"We'll decide when we get our beds there, I have a plan or two for that," Jace kissed her head near one of her Faunus ears and she purred lightly, causing him to smile, "Now, do you wanna head back to to the hotel and sleep?"

"Yeah… that'd be nice," Alyss agreed and the two stood from the bench, "There's one more thing I should tell you that makes the mark so special."

"What is it?" Jace asked curiously.

"Whenever we _do_ apply it and if it takes, then we could kind of… feel each other. Our emotions. With our aura."

Jace tilted his head a bit in confusion. "That sounds interesting. Can you try to explain it a bit more?"

She nodded and smiled at him. "If the mark takes, I would be able to send out a probe of my aura to find yours. It's really an awesome connection to share with someone. You can tell where they are within a kingdom, you can feel their emotions and feelings through the mark. And from what I've heard, it's just a really great feeling to be worthy of someone's mark."

"So, if you were at the docks and I was at Beacon, I could send out a bit of my aura and find where you are and feel what you're feeling?" Jace looked over and saw Alyss nod eagerly, "That does sound really great. I can't wait to try it with you."

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: Time for some relaxation. At least for JKDW, while RWBY and JNR are out to stomp a mudhole in Salem. We also got to know why Jaune replaced his sword, all for honor.**

 **See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	65. Chapter 64: Forgiven

**Forgiven**

The next day, the new beds were delivered and the remaining teams in Beacon worked to move their beds into their rooms. Jace and Auron quickly moved their beds to the room while Alyss and Raine brought the bed sheets, with Alyss carrying large queen-sized sheets. She was excited and happy when Jace suggested the two could push their beds together and she had found sheets to fit the beds. He had also told her he had a surprise he was thinking of, she was very curious about that as well.

Their team had agreed on the bed idea quickly since the two had already took to sleeping together before Vale fell. Jace pushed two beds together on one side of the room while Raine and Auron situated theirs. Like before, a nightstand was placed next to the beds, with one on each side of Jace and Alyss', and one in between Auron and Raine's. Alyss placed the sheets on their bed while Jace moved in the desks.

"Y'know, we might be able to just have these in one corner." Jace suggested and glanced at the corner to the left of the door.

"Probably. I'm guessin' you two's gonna have your desks pushed together like your beds," Auron grinned at the two and they nodded, "So they should all fit."

Auron and Jace moved the desks to the corner while Alyss and Raine set the sheets on the other beds. Jace found his old weapon catalogs and his dust book on the shelf and moved them to his desk along with his old pictures. He looked through them and smiled as he pinned them to the wall.

"So Raine, what's going on with you and Vivi?" Alyss asked her teammate with a grin, "Is that who you told me you loved?"

"I thought you told me you knew?" Jace looked to Alyss and crossed his arms.

"I'm feigning ignorance right now because I wanna know for sure." Alyss said with a grin.

"Yeah, that's who it is," Raine laid on her bed and smiled, "We told each other how we felt before the first bullhead went out when we prepared to take Beacon. I've loved her for awhile before that. It was really at the Gathering a few years ago. I just loved her attitude about everything," Raine laughed and smiled even more.

"When I first met her, I asked about her tail because of how she had both the cat ears and the tail. That's when I first heard her talk and the first thing she did was smile at me. We just started hanging out and I think we started a great bond. She gave me that pendant the next time we saw each other."

"Two Rangers in love with each other? Y'all are gonna be a hell of a team." Auron remarked and sat in a chair he brought in.

"I'm happy for you Raine." Alyss said and went to hug her.

"Trust me, I'm really happy too."

Jace looked around the room and smiled. "After we get done here, I think we can move the others' beds into their rooms too. Just to be nice."

"We'd have to talk to Glynda to make sure it's alright." Raine said.

"I'm sure she'd let us. I'd say they would want to lay down in their own beds after they get back from that place." Alyss stretched her limbs and yawned, then sat down on her bed.

"Still tired?" Jace asked.

"Very."

* * *

Team JKDW worked on moving beds into team RWBY's room after they had gotten permission from Glynda. Jace felt like he was actually doing something for the two teams now since he wasn't helping them find what was on that island. It wasn't much, but it was something. Auron set the first mattress down and Jace set the other one on the next frame, then Alyss and Raine spread the bedsheets out.

"How long do you think it'll take for the tower to get done?" Auron asked the group as they went down the stairs.

Jace thought about it for a few moments until they reached the double-doors that led outside. "Maybe a month or two. The old one's already taken down and with all these droids they should be able to get it done fast."

"Good, I need to call an' see how mom an' Preacher are doin'."

"I'm sure Preacher's alright. He's probably just been sleeping. Or spending all of that lien." Raine laughed and looked at the tall teen.

"He'd better not be. Hell, that can be saved for later on."

Alyss looked at him with a grin. "What? For when you have kids?"

Auron nearly lost his balance at the question. "N-no! I mean, that's not what I was thinkin'. At least… not yet," He rubbed the back of his neck and shook his head, "Damn… that's a hell of a way to catch me off guard."

"Hmm… I'm sure you can find someone." Alyss said with a smile.

Auron sighed and they reached the truck with the beds. "I don't know. Maybe sometime." He said and picked up a mattress.

"I wouldn't worry about it until you're ready." Jace said and retrieved the last one.

Auron didn't answer, but he sighed again and went toward the doors. The others followed and they finished with RWBY's room, then went to JNPR's. They all stopped as they hit a sad problem. "Oum damn it…" Auron breathed out and shook his head slowly.

Jace sighed and brought his scroll out. He stared at it for a few moments before he went to find Glynda's number. He called and waited, then was hit with another problem.

 _"I'm sorry, this service is currently unavailable."_

"Great. I forgot about that." Jace muttered and put his scroll back in his pocket.

"What is it?" Alyss asked.

"We still don't have any communications."

"I guess I'll go talk to her then." Auron said and walked back toward the stairs.

"I'll be faster," Jace said and caught up with him, "As long as I don't get too tired and crash to the ground." He grinned a bit.

"I know… I probably just need to clear my head, mostly." Auron replied.

"You go do that, then. We'll wait for you both and you can think." Raine said.

Auron nodded slowly and sighed. "It's just really startin' to sink in, y'know?"

"Yeah, I know the feeling," Jace agreed sadly, "Go clear your head."

"Yeah… see you in a bit."

Auron walked down the hall and down the stairs as Jace turned to the others. "I guess I'll be back as soon as I can." He said and turned to the door.

"We'll wait here." Alyss said and Jace left the room.

Alyss and Raine sat in a couple of chairs and waited. They both stayed silent as they sat, they knew what Jace was going to ask. That one question made it become depressingly clear that Pyrrha was truly gone.

"It really _is_ sinking in… Just everything." Alyss said quietly.

"I get what you mean. From Penny to Pyrrha to…" Raine looked at Alyss and saw the sad look in her eyes. She nodded to her and Raine continued, "To your mom, then all the other civilians and students that died last year… And now that we took back Vale, it's almost like it happened last week. Hopefully it can all stay peaceful now."

"Yeah. For Jace and Auron's sakes." Alyss agreed.

"And yours." Raine smiled a bit at her.

* * *

Auron walked through the door and sighed heavily as he looked at the ground. He went to one of the many fountains and sat down on a bench, even though the temperature of the winter weather sent chills through him. The sadness that plagued his mind for the moment was much worse to him.

Would JNR need four beds now?

It was such a simple question, but it carried so much weight.

Auron sighed and looked up to the blue sky. He never thought any of this would ever happen. His father, the invasion, and his old friend. All in the span of a year. He knew that it wasn't just him, a lot of the refugees from Vale lost everything in that one night, but it didn't make it any easier for him at all. Everyone had their own tragedies. Jace lost both his father and brother, Alyss lost her mother, and Jaune lost Pyrrha as well.

"Clearing your head?"

Auron looked to the side and Doctor Oobleck was standing there, in a winter jacket, and holding his ever-present thermos. "Somethin' like that." Auron answered him.

"Would you mind if I have a seat?" Oobleck asked and Auron nodded. He sat down and looked at the water in the fountain. "As I understand it, you have significant reasons for your… somber attire?"

"Yeah… It's for the ones that go through their own hell… havin' to live on the streets or if their families passed too soon… Or if their home gets taken away."

"That is a noble reason. And the red and gold is for Pyrrha?"

"Yeah. Just like Jaune, Nora, an' Ren all got red now in her memory. Maybe if things get better in the world, then I'll wear some more color on my back." Auron looked back up to the sky as Oobleck took a drink from his thermos.

"But… you have doubts it will ever get better?"

Auron sighed and shook his head. "Some things'll never be right, I know. Things'll keep changin' for better or worse. We all gotta have that bit o' hope that things can get better… but you never know if you'll be asleep one night or be dead the next. That's somethin' I realized after dad died… somethin' I understood after Pyrrha died," Auron leaned forward and held his head down as his eyes started to well up on him, "We just never know."

"You are all so young, yet you have to deal with all of that so soon," Oobleck sighed a bit before he straightened up. "But, you have all persevered. Through all your separate hardships, you are still here and you stand together. You cannot focus on the past, as Jace has told us all. But you cannot forget it. It is a part of who you are and what you stand and fight for. If you forget that… then it may just happen again," He stood and cast a glance to Auron, judging his reaction. He smiled a bit when he saw Auron's gaze leveled out in front of him, rather than to the ground.

"Now, I believe I still need to help with preparations. Good speaking with you, Mr. Karmine."

"You too, Doc." Auron said and the Doctor started to walk away.

"One more thing," Oobleck said and turned his head back. "With how you and Ms. Nikos' team carry on her spirit in your colors, and how Jace carries Genesis' blade, I recall something I heard from Mr. Arc that she told him. _'For it is in passing that we achieve immortality.'_ I believe that holds true." He said and walked on, leaving Auron to himself.

Auron brought his armguard in front of himself and extended the shield in it as he thought of what Oobleck told him.

"Immortality…" He echoed quietly as he looked over his shield.

* * *

"When the hell is Jace supposed to be back?" Auron asked as he and the two other members of JKDW sat in the empty dorm room.

Raine shrugged. "Glynda might need some time to think about-"

"I'm back."

Everyone jumped and turned toward the now-open window where Jace crouched on the sill as his wings were evaporating.

"Jace! What the hell!?" Raine nearly screamed as she clutched at her chest.

"Sucks, doesn't it?" Jace asked her as he came fully into the room, shutting the window behind him.

Raine exhaled deeply through her nose as Auron laughed and Alyss giggled. "I _do_ remember you doing the same thing with your cloak before." Alyss stated with a grin.

"True. I remember yellin' the same thing." Auron said toward his teammate, her fox ears were flat against her head as she calmed down from the scare.

"Yeah… I guess I'll give you that." She replied and crossed her arms.

"Why'd it take you so long?" Alyss asked.

Jace grinned. "I stopped to talk with CFVY. They saw me flying by and Coco called for me to talk. Mostly about the wings."

"I'd say they didn't get the chance to see before, did they?"

"That's pretty much what they said. Then Yatsu asked why I have _Standoff_ instead of _Legacy_ with me."

Auron cleared his throat as he turned to Jace. "What'd Glynda say?"

Jace's grin faded into a small frown. "She said three. She told me that she doesn't want them to feel that Pyrrha can just be replaced."

"Hell no, she can't." Auron replied and stood. They walked from the room and down the hall. As they reached the stairs, Jace put a hand on Auron's shoulder.

"If you still need to clear your head, we can do this ourselves." He said. Alyss and Raine flashed him reassuring smiles.

Auron shook his head and smiled a bit. "I'm good. Oobleck talked to me an' helped."

"As long as you're sure." Alyss said and the group walked down the stairs.

It took them an hour to finish up with everything. Jace and Auron brought the mattresses in, then the sheets were set, then the room was cleaned a bit more. They walked back to their room and sat around the table trying to decide on what to do.

 _"I guess we could go and help out in the city. I mean, we've done all we can here."_ Jace thought to himself as he leaned back in his chair.

"When's the power gonna come back on anyway?" Raine asked and glanced up to the unpowered lightbulb.

"Shouldn't be much longer," Auron replied, almost sounding distracted, "They should be clearin' the rest of the industrial district in the next day or two. Then they oughtta be gettin' power back to the whole city."

"I really wish the backup generators weren't automatic. They probably ran out of power a few months after they kicked on." Jace remarked.

"Maybe waiting a few days to sleep here would be better." Alyss said sadly and her ears drooped down a bit.

"Maybe," Jace agreed and looked out the window. He thought of something and smiled, "Let's head back to the docks and get our vehicles."

"Why?" Auron asked.

"Let's see if we can do something for Yang."

They stepped outside the building and went toward the airdocks. Alyss told them to go ahead and she'd meet them there after she went to talk with Velvet after she saw her. When Jace was sure she was out of earshot, he turned to Auron and Raine. "Hey guys, I'm gonna need your help."

"What is it?" Raine asked.

"I've been asking around about something. I've been wanting to do something to surprise Alyss."

"Well, let's hear it." Auron said with a small grin and Jace told them his plan.

* * *

Jace strapped his helmet on and set his swords inside of _Titan's_ right compartment. He knew he still needed to clean _Standoff_ but with all of the cleaning around Beacon he had to hold off on it. He closed the swords safely inside and hopped on. Alyss followed shortly after and he smiled when he felt her arms wrap around his waist. He always smiled when she had to hold him like that when riding his motorcycle. He started the engine and sat there for a moment for it to warm up to the weather. He looked behind them and saw Auron pull his truck up a bit behind him, then they drove forward and from the docks.

All of the rubble had been cleaned up along the streets, making it look almost normal again. Jace and Alyss stayed silent as they drove through the empty streets toward the garage where Jace used to keep _Titan_. They went further down the street and Jace glanced over to see two scorch marks on the corners of two buildings. He smiled and turned around, then came to a stop next to the alleyway.

"Why'd you stop here?" Alyss asked him as he stepped off the motorcycle.

"A good memory," Jace replied as Auron came to a stop behind them.

"Hey Raine, remember this spot?" Jace asked his partner as she stepped out of the truck.

She looked around the area and saw multiple slashes in the ground and small potholes. After her gaze reached the corners of the buildings, she smiled. "It's where I met you and Yang."

"I remember our first double-team," Jace said with a grin, "I uppercutted a thug and sent him in the air, then you drop-kicked him back to the ground."

"And Yang almost threw a guy into you." Raine grinned back.

"Good times, huh?" Auron asked them.

Jace nodded and smiled. "Yeah, good times. Let's get going." He said and hopped back on _Titan_ , followed by his girlfriend.

Auron and Raine entered the truck as Jace started and revved the engine of _Titan_. They turned and drove down the street toward their destination as Alyss leaned up to Jace's ear. "I think I've finally gotten used to riding your motorcycle."

"That's good," Jace replied without taking his eyes off the road, "I'd say you're probably gonna be the only one to ride it with me."

"Yeah, I know," She giggled a bit under the noise of the engine, "It _really_ builds a girl's stamina."

Jace gripped the handlebars tighter and inadvertently sped the motorcycle up a bit, drawing a laugh from Alyss. "You know, I'm driving! Stop filling my head with stuff right now!" He called over _Titan's_ engine, getting another laugh from her.

"Alright! I'll save it for later!" She called back.

Jace smiled and picked up the speed a bit. Auron followed and matched the speed with his truck as they passed the buildings. After another few minutes of driving, they pulled into the parking lot where the garages were. Jace stepped off _Titan_ and went to clear rubble from the front of the garage that once housed his motorcycle. Auron stepped from his truck and helped as well, moving everything out of the way quickly. Jace moved the remnants of the garage door and saw _Bumblebee_ laying on the ground with scratches, scrapes, and dents in its frame.

"Well, Yang's not gonna be too happy about its condition." Jace remarked and picked the motorcycle off the ground. He saw that there was no kickstand to it and let go, realizing that it had a stabilizing core like his. He checked everywhere along the engine and gas tank to make sure everything was alright. He didn't see any leaking oil or gas, so he thought it would still run if Yang had patience.

Auron dropped the tailgate of his truck and both he and Jace lifted _Bumblebee_ up into it. Auron strapped it down and made sure it couldn't move, then closed the tailgate. They looked in the small building and found wrenches and other tools Yang kept with her motorcycle for maintenance and took them too, along with Jace's laser etching kit he bought in Atlas.

They made sure this was everything they wanted to get and set off toward the docks.

* * *

 **One month later**

Jace and his team sat in their now-powered room and could actually relax, wearing their casual clothes for the first time since before the tournaments. Auron still wore his armguard over his sleeveless arm and everyone worked on their own projects.

Jace sat at the table and ran a rough brush and sandpaper over _Standoff_. He had been at it for two hours so far, spending close to thirty minutes on one rust spot until it was completely gone.

Auron was working with numerous dust crystals he bought. Crushing, refining, and shaping them into whetstones for his team to use. He had made numerous extras that he separated and organized. He set them into two separate boxes, one for RWBY and one for JNR. He wrote notes and stuck them to the boxes and set them aside while he worked on his own.

Alyss sat across from Jace and made as much rounds for her weapons as her casing supply would let her, then started to clean _Atronach_ and _Soul Leaf_. Raine sat on her bed and made herself new arrows. Since what she used was an archaic weapon, she chose to make her own arrows from forging new broadhead tips, making new fletchings from bird feathers she searched for, and using wood she had cut and shaved down herself. She never minded it, considering her family were some of the only ones that did that for their weapons.

Jace finished with a large spot of rust on _Standoff_ and set his sandpaper down. He flexed his hand from the work he put in and took a break from it while he looked around. He smiled at Alyss working diligently on cleaning and caring for his brother's old revolver, glad that he trusted her with it.

He saw Raine working on her last few arrows as she glued the fletchings to the shaft of one and used her aura to fuse the arrowhead and the wood together. He glanced and saw Auron set an ice dust whetstone onto the very colorful pile of stones. Jace let his eyes drift through the window and saw the tower was halfway to completion.

It looked vastly different from what stood there before. It was supposed to be mix between Atlesian and Valesian architecture. Its glass walls reflected the light of the sun as the droids continued working unfazed. It was being made with special metals and supports that could stand up to the fiercest calamity and take little to no damage.

Ironwood had stated himself that he would have the office at the top be just like Ozpin's old office with all of the gears and cogs turning overhead and under his feet. Glynda had moved her temporary office to the library, accompanied by the teachers and Qrow, who was thankful that Jace and his team went through the trouble to retrieve Yang's motorcycle.

Jace let his gaze fall back to those in the room. He sighed happily and took a deep breath through his nose, smelling the wild-cherry scent that he and Alyss shared now. Alyss glanced up at his sigh and saw the smile across his lips. She smiled as well as her ears flicked happily and she went back to cleaning _Atronach_. Jace went back to cleaning the rust from _Standoff_ as Auron stood from his desk and grabbed the two boxes.

"I'll be back later. I'm gonna take these to their rooms an' see if I can fix up some jerky." He said and left the room. He shut the door lightly and everyone else went back to their work.

Jace had a thought and went over it in his head. _"When are we gonna be able to be alone long enough?"_ He asked himself and looked around, _"I don't want to ask Raine and Auron to leave just so we can try this."_ He sighed a bit and scrubbed the brush along the next spot of rust he came across.

Raine heard the tone of his sigh and her ears twitched toward him. She could only guess what he was thinking about. "I'm thinking that me and Auron could go to the docks later and talk to Connor for a bit before he leaves. Maybe stay there the night." She looked up from inspecting her arrow to see the other twos' reactions.

"Really?" Alyss asked with a smile, "I won't force you both to, but we would appreciate the alone time."

"Yeah, you don't have to." Jace said to her.

"I know how long you two have been waiting to do this with the mark," Raine replied and looked over her arrows, "I want you both to be happy. And I know Auron does too. Plus I need to find dad to see if he thinks I did alright with these."

Jace and Alyss shared a smile toward the diminutive Faunus Ranger. "Thank you Raine. That's really sweet of you." Alyss said and widened her smile.

"Don't mention it. I know it'll take a few more times to be alone _when_ you decide to move the mark up a stage, but I don't mind going out for a while," She gave a small frown as she became worried, "And… I've noticed that something's been on Auron's mind lately. He looks like he's been thinking hard on something and not finding any answer."

Alyss frowned at hearing that. "I hope it's not anything bad."

"Maybe it's because he doesn't have anyone like we do," Jace wondered and felt a bit of guilt creep into his mind, "I hope we're not making him feel bad."

"I'm sure he just needs some fresh air to think." Raine assured him and went to lay her arrows on her desk.

"I hope he can figure it out if that's the problem." Jace sighed and went back to taking care of _Standoff_.

* * *

Jace and Alyss sat in the cafeteria and ate their food later that day, waiting for the rest of their team to arrive. Jace had a barely-noticeable grin on his face, thinking about how Alyss' reaction will be when they return to their dorm. Their teammates were setting things up with the help of Vivi and the other team members of the two they were sitting with.

They sat and talked with Yatsuhashi and Velvet, who had grown very close in the past months and had been forging a relationship past just being teammates. Velvet leaned close to Yatsuhashi and held his hand lightly as she used her fork with one hand. Yatsuhashi kept a wide smile all throughout their meal and conversations.

"Yatsu, you remind me of me when me and Alyss started dating." Jace remarked with a grin.

"I _have_ been very happy since I confessed my feelings." The large Huntsman-in-training replied.

"You had the courage to do it, unlike me." Jace said.

"It was very surprising when he admitted it," Velvet said with a smile, "But I'm glad he came forward to say it. I kept trying to build my courage to tell him, but I was always just so shy about it."

"I'm happy for you two," Alyss said, "It makes me happy to see a human that's not afraid to date a Faunus." She smiled as she echoed the words Velvet used when she and Jace met her.

Velvet blushed and Yatsuhashi chuckled. "I believe that if you let petty things like _race_ control who you love, then you are not seeing clearly."

"I think you guys are good for each other." Jace smiled toward them.

"And I think you two are too." Velvet smiled back.

"Can you guys not be sappy for like… a minute?" They heard Fox say from behind them.

They turned around and saw Fox, Coco, Auron, Raine, and Vivi. "We're finished. Jace, you owe us." Coco said with a grin.

"I'll find a way to pay you back. Thanks for the help." Jace replied.

"What is it? What did they do?" Alyss asked Jace.

"You'll see as soon as you're done eating."

"You won't get any details outta us." Auron said when Alyss turned to them.

"You'll have to see it for yourself." Raine said with a smile and the group went to grab some food for themselves.

Alyss pouted a bit and turned back to her nearly-finished food. Jace smiled at the pout and kissed her on the cheek. "Is it the thing you told us about before?" Velvet asked.

Jace nodded. "Yeah. I think it's got her eating a bit faster." He grinned toward his girlfriend.

"I'm sure it is something you will love." Yatsuhashi commented.

"Guuuys!" Alyss whined, "Stop teasing me!"

* * *

Auron and Raine left for the docks after their meal and CFVY went back to their dorm room. Alyss was giddy with excitement as she and Jace walked closer to their room. Jace was excited to see her reaction and he smiled at seeing her almost bouncing up and down as they walked down the hall.

"You're really curious about this, aren't you?" Jace asked with a grin.

"Yes, I am," She answered quickly, "I don't know what to expect and it's exciting."

They reached the door and Jace turned to her. "Close your eyes." He said and she complied. Jace unlocked the door and led her inside, then he lightly shut the door behind them. He smiled widely as he looked around the room. The others had set it up perfectly. He glanced to Alyss and saw her biting her lip in excitement as she bounced up and down.

"Okay… open your eyes."

Alyss opened them as soon as he said it and they went wide as she looked around the room. On different hangers along the ceiling, a long-vined plant hung on each one. They had long vines that led from one to the other with vines hanging from them at irregular intervals. Three longer vines hung down in front of the window. In the pots were special cherry blossoms that grew beautifully and hung down a bit from the pots.

Alyss' eyes drifted around the room and they landed on her desk as her eyes started to blur with tears. She walked over to her desk and picked the picture frame up. It held a picture of both Alyss and Lilith on Alyss' graduation day of combat school. There was a folded note taped to it and she took it from the frame. She held her hand over her mouth and read it. It was from Jace.

 _'I love you.'_

Jace wrapped his arms around her waist from behind in a light hug. "Y-you did all of this for me?" She asked as she looked at the picture.

She turned around in his arms and Jace nodded. "This is something I wanted to do since I was able to see inside your house. I saw all the plants and thought that it would be a nice thing to do for our room, for you. When I saw the pictures, I saw that light in your eyes that I saw when I first met you. Then I realized just how strong you are. That's my favorite picture because I saw how happy both you and Lilith looked back then, even though you were still dealing with the memory of what _he_ did," He smiled widely and took his arms from around her waist. He reached his hands up and wiped tears from her cheeks, "This is my gift to you for everything you've done for me."

"J-Jace… T-thank you so much," Alyss said and wrapped her arms tightly around him, "I love it. I love _you_."

"I'm glad you like it. Everyone else was glad to help, too."

Alyss looked into his emerald-green and sky-blue eyes for a few moments before she moved to kiss him. Their lips met and they stayed in that light and loving embrace for a few moments. Then Alyss opened her mouth more as she moved her tongue forward. Jace responded in kind and their tongues danced around in each others' mouths. Alyss' arms moved up to hold Jace around the shoulders and she pulled him tighter against her as she felt heat rising in her. Jace placed his hands on her sides and dug his fingernails into them, making Alyss jump a bit and moan in pleasure.

They broke apart for air as saliva trailed from their mouths and they stared deeply into each others' eyes. Alyss licked her lips as her pupils slitted. Jace felt a deep, animalistic growl in him as his own pupils copied hers. Then they began kissing again.

* * *

"Is it there?" Jace asked and tilted his head upward so Alyss could see his shoulder.

She yawned and looked from where she sat on the bed. She still wasn't wearing anything yet from waking up after their night and felt the chill of the cool air on her bare body. Her eyes widened and she smiled widely. "It looks like it took. Is there a mark on me?" She asked quickly and tilted her head up as well.

Jace didn't even need to lean in close to see the large bruise and teeth imprint on her shoulder. He smiled and nodded. "It looks like it. So I guess my Faunus DNA can make this easier."

"It _definitely_ made it easier last night when your new instincts kicked in," Alyss said with a bit of a shy grin, "A whole lot more enjoyable too."

Jace smiled and kissed her. "I didn't know Faunus insticts could take over like that. All the scratching and biting…" He ran his fingers along four long scratches on his right arm, "I honestly really like it."

"I really do too."

"What now?"

Alyss took a deep breath to steady her emotions. "Alright, I'm gonna try to make sure it really worked." She said and closed her eyes.

She sent a small bit her aura outwards, searching for the mark on Jace's shoulder. It didn't take her long to find it in such close proximity. She saw in the darkness of her closed eyes a light of aura. It was different colors she noticed, the most striking were ruby-red, sky-blue, and emerald-green, all the colors of his family's auras. She smiled when she noticed a tinge of purple aura intertwining within the myriad of colors. She sent her aura out towards his in a tendril, inching closer and closer until she finally touched it. She gasped at what she felt. She breathed deeply and felt tears running down her cheeks as she felt his emotions through her aura.

 _Love. Joy. Warmth. Determination. Happiness._

She smiled at the last one she felt.

 _Acceptance_.

"Oh… I can feel you." Alyss said in wonder.

"You can?" Jace asked. Alyss felt his feelings of wonder and excitement now.

"Yeah I can. Umm… You try now. Just send a bit of your aura and try to find my mark."

"How do I do that?"

"Just close your eyes so you can focus, then send like a ball or tentacle of aura out to find it." She answered him and waited patiently.

Jace closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He did as she asked and sent his aura outwards to search for her mark. He took a sharp breath as he found it and smiled.

"I can see it!" He said in excitement. He saw a deep purple color with blue, green, and red lines of aura swirling around it, blending with her own.

"C-can you feel it?"

Jace reached out with his aura more and Alyss met it halfway. Jace breathed in deeply and felt her feelings.

 _Joy. Love. Wonder. Excitement. Longing. Happiness. Warmth._

Jace felt his heart beat faster as he felt shivers of excitement. "I can feel it… does that mean…?"

"We're… We're marked… We're mated!" Alyss opened her eyes and looked at Jace with happiness shining in them.

Jace looked at the mark on her shoulder and gave a wide smile. He moved forward and pulled her into a tight hug. "Oh Oum, I love you so much Alyss."

She hugged him back as tears of happiness streaked down her face. "I love you too…"

"I-uh, I'm gonna go put on some clothes now." She said after a few moments and got out of bed.

"Alright. We can scritch each others ears when you're done." Jace could only stare after her as she moved to her dresser to retrieve a pair of loose pants and shirt. She was just so beautiful to him. The thought of him actually being able to be with someone as nice, pure, caring and carefree as her was something he knew he should never take for granted. He couldn't believe how lucky he was.

"I'm gonna go shower too." Alyss said and turned to him, catching him staring. She smiled and walked toward the bathroom.

"I'll do that after you, then." Jace said and watched her step into the bathroom.

Jace smiled and rose out of their bed to find a pair of shorts to put on while he waited. He was definitely happier than he'd ever been now. He found a person to love and he was now mated to her. Or it's at least the first stage of it. It's more than what he could have ever hoped before. He heard the water start in the bathroom and he laid on the bed again.

He closed his eyes and sent his aura out to find her mark again. "I know you said I could, but I can see your mark through the wall!" Jace called in amusement.

Alyss poked her head out from the doorway and looked at him. "You _knooow_ …" She smiled, "You don't _have_ to see it through the wall." She winked and giggled at the wide smile she saw on Jace's face.

* * *

 **One month later**

 _Worry_

Alyss looked up from where she had been eating her food at their table to see Jace staring out the window biting his lip, his ears pressing against his skull. "What's wrong?"

Jace looked at her and sighed. "I know it's just been two months. It probably took a long time to get there, but I'm getting worried about them."

Alyss smiled and placed her hand over his on the table. "It's gonna take a while longer for them to come back. It's a long way they had to go."

"They'll be alright," Auron said from where he sat across from them, "Those seven can fight like hell. Especially Jaune if he's pushed like when we fought together when Vale fell."

"Is it because we're not there helping them?" Raine asked.

Jace nodded and looked up at the plants hanging from the ceiling. "I don't like the thought of our friends in a fight that I can't help them in."

"I know what ya mean about that," Auron set his revolver on the table after he finished looking it over, "When mom an' dad was poisoned, I knew I couldn't help an' it ate me alive. When Jaune told us Pyrrha was in trouble, it ate me alive that I couldn't go help her," He gave a small grin, "Hell, it ate me alive when you was in a coma an' I couldn't help."

"It's just _that_ and it honestly sucks because there's nothing to do now," Jace looked back down and eyed his plate of food for a moment, then over to his weapons at his desk, "The city's been cleared out and we have nothing to help with right now. Nothing left in the city, nothing here to clean up, it's kind of annoying to me." He let out a frustrated sigh and looked toward the near-complete tower.

"Itchin' to get back in the fight?" Auron asked with a grin.

"To do anything, really." Jace answered.

"Well, going by the pressure in my shoulder," Raine said and smirked toward Jace and Alyss, "You two have been _really_ busy."

They both looked away with blushes on their faces. "You're not wrong…" They said at the same time.

There was a loud knock on the door that startled everyone. They looked at each other in confusion before Auron stood to go answer the door. Another set of raps on the door made Auron sigh in annoyance.

He grabbed the door handle and pulled. "Oum, have some damn-" He was stopped in his tracks when he saw Preacher standing there with a grin on his face.

"By Oum you kids did it!" He said and wrapped the large teen in a strong hug.

"When did you get here? How's mom?" Auron asked as Preacher stepped back from him.

"I got here last night, slept on Connor's ship. An' Kat's doin' better now that she knows you're safe. Erron's helpin' around the house 'till I get back."

"Connor's back?" Jace asked from where he sat.

"Yeah. He's been runnin' from Mistral to here a lot lately. Oh, that one girl, Emerald I think her name is, she wanted to see you for a bit, Jace."

Jace looked at him in confusion. "What about?"

"She didn't say. She's got Emowyn watchin' over her right now over on the docks."

"Emowyn's here? Well, I'm gonna be heading to the docks too." Raine said and went to grab her now and arrows.

"Can we finish eating first?" Alyss asked before she took another bite of her grilled fish and steak salad.

* * *

Jace came to a stop outside the Rangers' temporary base on the docks. He hopped off of _Titan_ easily and grabbed _Standoff_ from its case, then took his helmet off. Alyss took her helmet off and they put them in their case. Auron got out of his truck and looked around, then he saw the person he wanted to see standing near the water. He smiled and walked over toward her.

Raine walked up to Alyss and Jace and they went inside the building. Alyss sent a probe of her aura outward toward Jace and felt two feelings. Curiosity and forgiveness.

"Are you probing me?" He asked with a grin at the sensation he felt in his shoulder.

"Kinda. Are you gonna forgive her?"

"I still don't know." Jace answered and gripped her hand tighter.

"Let's just talk to her first." Raine suggested and they opened the wide doors to the main room.

The room was almost barren save for multiple tables and chairs. There was one large monitor on the wall that was usually reserved for seeing the news, but it was turned off until the CCT was back online. The few people they saw were Mabari, Halt, Emowyn, and Emerald. Emerald was sitting at one of the tables and noticed them come in, then said something to the others that made them turn.

"Hey sis, doing well?" Emowyn asked and went to give Raine a hug.

"Bored mostly," Raine answered and turned to Halt, "How's mom?"

"Nia's safe back in Calm with your grandpa," Halt replied, "She's been worried about you."

"I really need to talk to her and let her know I'm safe too."

"I told her that already," Her father grinned, "But she wants to see for herself. How's the rest of your team?"

"I think Jace feels like a caged animal."

"A caged animal? Haven't you guys been helping out in the city?" Emowyn asked.

"We did until it was cleared," Jace piped up and let out a sigh, "Now we've just been sitting in our dorm with really nothing to do."

"You'll find something, I'm sure." Mabari said and winked at Jace and Alyss as he tapped on his shoulder.

"Well… you're not wrong." Alyss muttered and looked down.

"Alright, before you kids start getting carried away," Halt butted in and glanced over to Emerald, "She wants to talk to you."

Jace looked over to Emerald and nodded, then walked over to her with Alyss. They sat in chairs across from her and they stayed silent for a few moments.

"Thank you."

The words were barely audible but Jace and Alyss heard them easily. "For what exactly?" Jace asked her.

"For stopping Cinder and believing me. Giving me this chance and freeing me from her." Emerald looked at them with a mix of regret, sadness, and happiness in her eyes.

"We should thank you too," Jace said and set his hands on the table, "You told us where they were and that helped us all end it. You deserve the chance."

"Just… thank you so much."

"Cinder… she said it was never her choice…" Jace said and Emerald looked at him curiously, "She said her boss had control over her soul. I heard the pain in her voice before she died. She sounded so… sad. Sad and almost helpless. She asked Ruby to free her soul. She said that she's sorry."

"She said all of that?" Emerald asked and Jace nodded, "So… she just wanted to be free too?"

"Sounds like it."

"It wasn't Cinder using me… it was really her boss… I hope she can be at peace sometime…"

"Y'know, I think now I can actually forgive you."

Emerald looked at him in surprise. "You'd forgive me for what I did to you and your family? And… your friend? Just because I helped?"

"It's the fact that you're facing what you've done and you helped bring me and my friends justice. I think you deserve forgiveness from me at least."

They all stayed silent for a few moments as Emerald processed what Jace told her. Jace felt for Alyss' mark with his aura to judge how she felt about what he'd said, and he smiled. She was proud of him. That was further solidified when Alyss leaned over to kiss him on the cheek.

Jace stood up and stretched his limbs. "I think we're gonna go now. Stay safe , Emerald."

"Y-you too."

Alyss stood with him and they walked toward the door. She glanced back toward Emerald and she could see tears coming from her eyes now. Even from her distance away, she could tell they were tears of relief and happiness. Jace pushed open the doors and the two walked down the hallway. Alyss held his hand as tight as ever and he held tightly as well. They walked outside and were met with a cold breeze carrying the smell of a type of berry scented perfume.

They looked to the origins of the scent and saw Auron sitting on a bench next to a girl with long brown hair in a ponytail with the end of the tail dyed a bright blonde along with two shorter tails of hair that cascaded down her shoulders and down her chest. She wore a light-green long-sleeved shirt, black jeans and brown knee-high boots with white straps around them.

Even from not seeing his face from where his back was turned, they heard a laugh escape his lips from that distance away. They could tell he was happy.

Jace and Alyss smiled and went to sit down on a bench near the doors of the building. They waited for Raine to come out from talking to the others as they sat on the bench, both of them feeling better that Auron seemed like he found someone.

"Hey guys, ready to go?" Raine asked as she stepped from the building.

Alyss shook her head and nodded her head toward Auron and the girl. Raine followed the movement and smiled.

"I'm not gonna cut their time together." Jace said and looked over to them.

"Y'know what, how about you two head back to the dorm for the night? I'll see if Auron would stay somewhere here whenever he's done." Raine suggested.

"Thank you, Raine." Both Alyss and Jace said, then stood up to leave.

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: Things are finally calming down and getting back to some semblance of normality. Yes, I felt that the question about the beds was a huge deal. It does solidify the fact that Pyrrha is gone, but they don't need a bed to remember her by. Like she said before. For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. She's gone, but her memory remains.**

 **On the brighter side of things, everyone does seem to be getting happier. Jace set up that gift for Alyss and they're finally in the first stage of mating (huge thanks to Dongyrn for introducing me to that, and to l** **OmegaInfinity l for coming up with the idea in the first place,) Raine is happy with Vivi, and now Auron looks like he might be on that path.**

 **See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	66. Chapter 65: Follow the Fireflies

**Follow the Fireflies**

Jace glanced across the room and saw Raine working with making extra arrows while he, Alyss, and Auron played cards to pass the time. Glynda told everyone that the tower would be completed at any time and assured them that Vale would rise back to order soon. She also said she would like to hold off the official ceremony until RWBY and JNR return so they could be a part of it. Jace still worried about them and the worry made him bite his lip to try to take his mind off of it.

The problem with that old habit coming back now was that he had sharper teeth than before.

"Jace, your lip's bleedin'." Auron noticed and Jace put his hand up to his mouth.

"Why are you looking at my lips?" Jace asked with a nervous grin.

"Well, it can't be the table bleedin' now can it?"

Jace looked down and saw the few drops of red on the edge of the table. "Oh damn it," He wiped his lip with his hand and looked at it, seeing his blood lightly cover a spot on his finger, "I can't help it. It's a habit I've always had. I can't help but worry."

Alyss reached out and held his hand. "It'll be okay Jace. They'll be back."

"If I had something to do then I wouldn't be as worried."

"We could go see if Glynda has anything to do." Raine suggested from her desk.

"That might be good. Hopefully we can do something," Jace agreed and wiped at his lips again, "I should get out of that habit."

They put the cards away and Raine set her unfinished arrows aside and grabbed _Amaranth_. Alyss stood and stretched her limbs as Jace took _Standoff_ and _Legacy_ from where they leaned against the wall. He couldn't help but glance as Alyss stretched her body out. Ever since their first night of passion he felt he was even more in love with her and he couldn't help but just watch her. The curve of her torso and hips. Her slender yet firm arms. Her long and slender legs. That, added with her beauty, her personality, and those _eyes_ , made Jace's mind almost go blank when he just stared at her.

Alyss grabbed a shirt and a pair of shorts, then turned to the bathroom. She caught him looking and winked at him, causing him to smile.

"Can't you two keep your eyes off each other for like… a minute?" Raine joked while Jace stood up and placed _Standoff_ on his back.

"You should see yourself when you're with Vivi," Alyss said and sniggered at the blush that crossed Raine's cheeks. "Anyways, as long as we don't have to do anything tomorrow, then I'm okay with doing anything."

"I'm glad Mideon decided to stay an' do that himself," Auron said as he threw on his repaired duster and set his hat on his head, "He's a nice guy."

They all left their room and made their way outside. They walked toward the library and glanced to see the tower's progress, noticing multiple work droids setting more glass in the windows of the lower levels and fusing it there with a special type of resin. The weather was nice and cool now that it was mid-March so Alyss chose to wear a pair of tight black shorts and a low-cut purple T-shirt. Jace wore blue jeans and the _Man in Black_ shirt. Raine wore a pair of dark green-pants and a dark-blue T-shirt. Auron wore his usual black jeans and a black button-up shirt under his duster. And, as always, he wore his hat and his armguard.

"So Auron, who was that girl you were talking to the other day?" Alyss asked and craned her head upward toward her partner.

Auron felt a smile creep to his face as he thought of her. "Her name's Shyla Lynn. She's uh, actually two years older than me."

"So she'd be nineteen or twenty?" Raine asked from his right side.

"She said she just turned twenty a few weeks ago. I guess she'd really only be one year older since I'm turnin' nineteen in June."

"How'd you meet her anyway?" Alyss asked from his other side, keeping her smile toward him.

"We met that first night me an' Raine stayed at the docks a few months ago so you two could be alone," Auron grinned toward the two to his left, "She came up to me because she said I looked kinda down, then she asked if I was one of the ones that took back Beacon. I told her I was one of the first ones in an' she thanked me, then we just started talkin' for a while. Probably past midnight."

"And you've known her for around a month? I'm sorry for prying, but is there anything between you two?" Jace asked this time.

"We're… kinda tryin' to take it slow. Doin' that outta havin' that bad experience in Shade from my first relationship. But we're gettin' there, I think."

"You know we're still here if you ever want to talk about that." Jace said lightly.

"Yeah… I know… I think it's about time I said somethin' about it," Auron took a deep breath and looked up to the sky, "Her name was Samantha. We both went way too fast with it. We wanted different things out of it. Since it was my first… I wanted to show all o' my affection for her in public, I got clingy. An' she wanted someone to be with her, to hold an' cuddle her all the time, an' she was pushy with wantin' other things that I wasn't ready for…" Auron frowned as he clenched his teeth together, his voice straying to its darker sound.

"Things went south real quick at the end of classes one day. I found out that she was talkin' to some other guy, not like cheatin' or anything but I didn't know that then… an' I got jealous. I asked her about it. Well, I just flat-out accused her of it, then we got into a huge argument. I'll spare the details of that, but we started yellin' at each other. My voice…" Auron sighed, "My voice went like it did when we fought Hawk. Scared the shit outta her, me, Pyrrha, an' the other people that just fuckin' watched. I walked off to cool myself down an' I just… I just wanted to be alone…"

"Everyone just watched?" Alyss asked and Auron nodded, "They shouldn't have. It wasn't anyone else's business… Not even Pyrrha's."

"I know that… Pyr said the same after I calmed down… Hard not to stare when someone starts yellin' in public," Auron said, his voice going back to normal as he shook his head, "Samantha came up to me after awhile an' said we should just break up. I agreed, then we never talked again. I never had a girlfriend after that."

"Damn…" Jace sighed, "Sorry you had to go through that."

"It's what happens when you don't know what the fuck you're doin'," Auron said, "You three actually knew who you was datin' before you started datin'. I don't blame my friend that dared me to ask her out, I'm learnin' from it an' I'm takin' it slow with Shyla."

"Maybe it won't take three years for it." Raine said with a small grin.

Auron let out a laugh. "Hopefully not. Thanks for listenin'."

"Any time," Jace said, "Now, let's go see if there's anything for us to do."

They arrived at the library and the doors opened for them. It had been such a long time since Jace had been in there, since the tour they gave him. Glynda sat in the middle of the bottom floor with a table that she moved for herself. Around the table were Qrow, Doctor Oobleck, General Ironwood, Emowyn, and Emerald.

"Team JKDW, it's good to see you are all well." Oobleck greeted them from the table.

"You too Doctor. We'd like to know if there's anything we could do around Beacon or the city." Jace said.

"Shouldn't you wanna be taking this break while you can?" Qrow chuckled and shook his head at them.

"I'd like something to do to take my mind off of worrying about RWBY and the others."

"I wouldn't worry too much. I believe in all of 'em. Don't you?" Qrow questioned Jace with a raised eyebrow.

"That's not it," Jace hesitated and sighed. Glynda motioned for the group to take a seat and they did, then Jace continued, "I believe in them too. It's just that I hate not being at their backs while they do whatever they're doing there. I want to help them to keep paying them back for helping me."

"Mr. Reznor, that is very admirable," Glynda gave the barest hint of a smile, "I worry too because they are my students."

"And I'm Ruby and Yang's damn uncle." Qrow added.

"Actually… there may be something you four can help with." Ironwood broke his silence and looked at the team.

"James, no," Glynda immediately protested. "We don't know what these people are capable of. I don't want to risk them being hurt or worse."

"I've shown you the video of Jace and his brother standing against the Tyrant," Ironwood stated firmly and looked to the apprentice Ranger. "Raine was able to finally kill it. If anyone can do this, it would be them."

"What is it, exactly?" Raine asked them.

Even though Ironwood was adamant about his decision, he still hesitated. Emowyn noticed it and turned to them. "There's a small group of cultists called the Fireflies in Vale. They've been trying to turn people against each other for some _goddess_ of theirs."

"When did it start?" Jace asked them.

"They've been trying for two years really." Emowyn started to explain. "When I went to find the Crimson Lance base for the first time, there was this group of people there, just talking with them. The leader was human, then there were two more humans and a goat Faunus by the looks of it. They were mostly seven feet tall, but the leader was six feet. The Faunus and one of the humans wore full-face Grimm masks and the Faunus had cracks in his," Emowyn felt a chill run down her spine as she remembered how the man spoke. "The way he talked was just… unnerving. I think the Lance were actually scared of them."

"I didn't see them when we attacked 'em then." Auron said and frowned. "I don't remember hearin' some cultist crap."

"They left a bit after I got settled," Emowyn answered him. Auron nodded and Emowyn turned to Emerald, "Do you want to tell them the rest?"

"Sure," She answered and rose her gaze toward them. "They're here and trying to stir up things between the Faunus and humans again. Banesaw has been against them, but the civilians are getting worried that Equality will turn against them again and join back up with the Fang," Emerald shook her head at the name, "I really think they need another name." She said to herself.

"Which is nonsense," Glynda said in annoyance, "The members of Equality have realized their mistake and helped retake Vale. It is a delicate situation."

"Perhaps they _would_ be best suited for it due to having a… well… what _should_ be a human-Faunus couple in their team." Oobleck said and motioned his hand toward Jace and Alyss. "If your ears are hidden, then you could ease any tensions they have."

"If it'll help, then I'll keep them under a bandanna or something," Jace said with a frown, "Although I'd like to keep them out in the open."

"Even though I hate the thought, I think you should too," Alyss agreed reluctantly, "If it'll put people at ease and keep everything peaceful, then it's for the best."

"I'll do it, then. If you'll let us go after them." Jace said and looked to Glynda.

"I suppose you have proved your capabilities more than once," Glynda sighed. "Alright. I'll allow you to do this." She relented.

"You would have to deal with the Fireflies first, though." Ironwood said and looked to the students. "Deal with them, then address the crowd. If there are no objections, I believe they will have a rally of sorts tomorrow-"

"Actually sir, there _is_ something we were going to do." Alyss said nervously.

"What would that be?" Glynda asked her.

Raine put her hand on Alyss' shoulder. "She's having her mom's funeral." She explained and the two nodded their understanding.

"The next day, then." Ironwood said.

"Thank you." Alyss replied.

"We'll keep an eye on them. See if they act any differently." Emowyn said for her and Emerald.

"When you four are ready, come meet us here." Ironwood told them, then he gave a small grin, "I know that if Tyr gets wind of this, he will help you one way or the other. So I will talk with them about this as well."

"Alright. I'm sure if Alex wasn't helping Connor out on the seas, he would help out too," Jace said with a grin, "See you in a couple days." He said to Ironwood, then he and his team left the library.

They went straight back to their dorm and just rested for the day. Since it was something to do again, Jace was more relaxed as they waited. When nighttime came, they slept and prepared for the next day.

* * *

"Are you ready to go?" Jace asked softly to Alyss as he buttoned up his shirt.

"Yeah, I'm ready." She replied and took a deep breath.

Jace finished with his shirt and put _Standoff_ on his back, checking to make sure his light-gray jeans were devoid of cuts or holes. Auron was wearing another all-black outfit consisting of jeans, a light, long sleeve button-up shirt, and the suit coat from his school uniform. He also wore a necklace Preacher had made of his father's emblem, made from the red metal of a Spider Tank.

Raine wore gray pants, a black shirt and a special cloak, that still kept her hood, that was shortened to elbow length that hung over her left arm. At Auron's suggestion, Alyss wore a dark purple shirt and white jeans, forgoing any fancier or nicer clothes for something her mother always saw her wear.

They walked from their room and down the hall in silence, other than the sounds of their footsteps and CRDL arguing over something in their room. They reached the bottom of the stairs and Jace held the door open for his team, then walked toward Auron's truck. Glynda allowed them to keep their vehicles on campus since the lookups were destroyed, so they didn't have to take a bullhead.

Jace helped Alyss into the bed of the truck while Auron and Raine got in the front. Jace jumped up into the back and sat next to Alyss as he put his greatsword on his other side, then Auron started the truck and drove from the parking lot.

"How are you feeling?" Jace asked softly.

Alyss took a deep breath. "Probably how you felt with taking Genesis and Haile's headstones to your house."

"I can't describe what that feeling was." Jace admitted and shrugged his shoulders. "It's just like the closer and closer I got to the clearing with the headstones it started feeling like they just died right before. Like there was a pain in my heart or something."

"Yeah, that's what I'm feeling." Alyss placed her hand over her chest. "I guess it's the pain of losing a loved one all over again now that something can be done."

Jace sighed and looked up at the passing clouds. "I wish I could've brought them back to bury them…"

"You know you couldn't have," Alyss grabbed his hand and gripped it tight. "You did what you could for them both."

Jace shut his eyes as he took a deep breath. "I think they would be at peace from knowing I'm doing okay and that Hawk is gone. I'm sure that after this, your mom can be too."

"I wish I didn't have to say goodbye."

Jace gave a small smile as be looked to her. "It's not goodbye, though," Alyss looked at him in confusion and Jace kissed her on the cheek. "It's just see you later. That's what Gen told me before he died."

"Just… see you later…" Alyss echoed quietly, "That's another way to look at it I guess."

The two stayed silent for the rest of the ride until they arrived at the hospital near the docks. Auron parked his truck at the front and Mideon came out to greet them. "Hello everyone." He said and turned to Alyss. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah, I'm ready." She answered and the priest nodded.

"Very well. The preparations for the grave have been made and the gravestone is made how you requested. I will lead you there in the hearse."

"Alright. Lead the way, Mideon." Auron said to him.

* * *

"…Our lord Oum, we in this small group ask that you watch over Lilith, her daughter, and her daughter's friends in this time of strife. We would ask for you to give her soul peace in the afterlife as she, as well as you, watches over them."

The small service was over as Mideon moved away to give them some time alone. Alyss stood next to the casket with one hand on it's edge. _"She looks so peaceful now."_ She thought to herself and felt her eyes start to sting with tears.

"Thanks for everything mom. It's gonna be weird not having you here, giving me your opinion on things, worrying about me when I go to another kingdom, and always giving me the courage to face everything. I really wish you could've met my new friends… and my mate," Alyss smiled as the tears streaked from her eyes, "Do you remember that boy that invited me to Atlas? It's him. He's had a lot of bad things happen to him two years ago and because of it, he's… well, he's a Faunus now… It's really complicated. It's like he told me earlier, it's not goodbye, it's just see you later."

She closed her eyes and bowed her head for a few moments. She felt a hand on her shoulder and opened them back up to see her team next to her. Jace placed his arm over her shoulders and rubbed softly to help ease her.

"Lilith, I've been on Alyss' team for almost two years and she's the most caring person I've ever met," Raine smiled and placed her hand on Alyss' shoulder, "She always puts others first before her and she tries to help whoever she can, any way she can. She's an incredible girl, I'm sure she'll keep making you proud."

Alyss looked to Raine and smiled as Auron started to speak. "Raine's right, she _is_ pretty incredible. Durin' initiation, I asked once an' she healed my knee from where it was still hurt. She's my partner an' like I told Jace's dad an' brother, I'll watch her back too. An' like I asked 'em then, if you see Jeff Karmine up there, tell 'im I said hey an' I'll see 'im as soon as I can." Alyss wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand as Auron and Raine walked away for a moment.

"You raised the best person I've ever met," Jace said with a smile as he stood with her, "Ever since I met her at that clothes store, she kept me calm and made me so happy. I know I've needed her over these past two years. She was the first one I saw when I woke up from a coma and she was the most welcome sight I've ever seen. I honestly don't know where I'd be without her. But I know that I want to be with her for my life and after that…"

Jace took a deep breath as he felt his cheeks getting wet from tears. "When I took my family's headstones to my house in Solitas, she told them that she'd work to be the best girlfriend she could be. I think she's already the best. But I want to tell you the same. I'll try to be the best mate I can be to her. I promise you that a weapon in her hand doesn't have to be the only thing to protect her. I'll always be there when she needs me just like she's always there for me. Maybe if you see my brother Genesis, you can ask him about why I'm Faunus. He went through the same thing with me. I promise we'll watch her back while you watch over her."

Jace took another deep breath and pulled Alyss into a one-armed hug. He kissed her on the side of the head as they stood there for a few more moments, then they were ready to go.

"These three are the only family I have left… I wish you could've met them all. I'll always love you, mom. See you later."

They walked to where the other two were standing with Mideon. He nodded to them and looked back to the casket. "People will be here shortly to lower her down. Would you like to stay and see her off?" He asked Alyss softly.

She looked to her team to see what they wanted, but Jace spoke first. "It's your choice, Alyss."

She looked back to Mideon and nodded. "Yeah, we'll stay."

* * *

"Thank you both for meeting here so soon after I requested." Ironwood said to JKDW and APCT.

"It is no trouble for us, sir." Tyr said to him.

Ironwood nodded and motioned for them to sit down around Glynda's desk. They all took their seats and settled down. "We have discovered that the Fireflies have been acting out of a warehouse in the industrial district. As I told JKDW, I want you to deal with them, then address any crowd they have gathered."

"How do we deal with them?" Jace asked.

"We would prefer it if you could subdue them. But…" Glynda hesitated and looked through the young students. Students that could very well be considered fully fledged Hunters for what they have done, "If they make it difficult… do what you must."

"But that is only an extreme last resort," Ironwood continued, "Just do what you can."

The two teams looked to each other and nodded. Jace turned back to Glynda and Ironwood. "We'll do our best to just knock them out. When do you want us to go?"

"As soon as possible. If you are ready." Glynda answered.

They nodded again and stood up to leave. Ironwood stood and addressed them all. "We don't know what they will do. Speak to each other and come up with any way to deal with them. Consider this your first official mission. I am sure you eight can do this on your own."

"Thank you for your trust, sir." Tyr said and the teams walked from the library.

Glynda sighed and placed her head in her hands. "I hope we aren't putting them in over their heads."

"Glynda, stop worrying about them so much," Ironwood placed his hand on her shoulder, "They will handle this."

* * *

The two teams sat in the cafeteria for nearly two hours, discussing different things they could do. They had decided that Raine and Ashe would use their cloaks to scout the Fireflies out. Then they would return and they would all decide on how to handle them.

"So the plan is to have the Rangers go in and look for a bit, and then we'll all do something?" Terra asked to make sure.

"That is the plan, yes." Tyr responded.

"I'd rather just go in and hit them with my mace." Paige muttered.

"Spoken like a fighter." Auron remarked and grinned at the black-haired boy.

Raine and Ashe shared a short laugh at their words. Paige looked at them both and furrowed his eyebrows. "What?"

"You can't just go in without knowing what's expected." Raine answered.

"This is our job on things like this. Just go in and get what we need to know," Ashe continued for her, "I promise it won't take long."

Paige opened his mouth to speak, but Auron beat him to it. "Trust 'em. If she says it won't, then it won't. I've fought with three of 'em an' our team fought with five. Good Oum, they can get the job done." He gave a grin to both the apprentices there. "No offense to you two, but if we had maybe one full-fledged Ranger available, then we wouldn't be needed."

Ashe and Raine shared a grin and nodded. "Yeah. I'm not arguing with that." Ashe said.

"I'm sure there would've already been one on it if it wasn't for searching every inch of the city for the Fang." Raine remarked.

"Okay, let's get back on track," Jace said before the conversation steered even more off course. "We need to find out what we'll do after they get back."

"That depends on what they find out though." Alyss added from his side.

Jace checked the time on his scroll and it was almost eleven in the morning. Their brief meeting with Ironwood was at nine, it only took ten minutes. "Let's get going. Sooner we get it done, the sooner actual peace can take hold." Jace said and the group set out from their planning area.

They went to where Jace and Auron's vehicles were parked and prepared to leave. Jace put his swords in their cases and strapped _Soul Leaf_ one _._ Raine collapsed _Amaranth_ and set both it and _Shagahod_ on the racks in Auron's truck with his sword. The whole of team APCT jumped in the back and held their weapons in front of them.

They left the school and drove down the long road to the city. They would first go to the docks and leave their vehicles there, then walk to where the warehouse was located. They arrived within two hours and set out quickly. It was their first real mission as Ironwood had said, and they knew they needed to succeed for peace to be truly restored.

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: I lied. There's a bit more to take care of and that's the Fireflies. And because of how I wrote this, with the timeskips and stuff, that will take place in the next chapter.**

 **And finally, Alyss got her mom a burial. Not a lot of people can do that after the Vytal Tragedy.**

 **See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	67. Chapter 66: The Word of A Goddess

**The Word of A Goddess**

Raine and Ashe quietly slipped into the warehouse and spread out. Raine left her rifle in Auron's truck and kept her sword and her bow in its collapsed form under her cloak while Ashe kept _Vulcan_ in its dual pistol form, hidden under her arms as well as under her cloak. They went to separate corners and kept their scrolls on and connected to the others.

"We're in." Raine whispered quietly into her scroll, trusting that Alyss and Jace could hear.

Outside, they heard clearly. "They're set up. Now we have to wait." Jace said to the group as they waited a few blocks away.

Auron handed out a few dust whetstones to the others. Tyr took an earth stone, Paige took fire for his axe, and Alyss took ice. Jace and Terra had no need for them since Jace could enhance his blade himself and Terra didn't even have a sword. After he handed the stones out, Auron took his black bandanna from around his neck and handed it to Jace.

"Go ahead an' cover 'em up before you forget."

"I kinda already did… thanks for reminding me." Jace sighed and took the bandanna.

"Why are you doing that?" Terra asked as Jace wrapped the cloth over his head.

"Because I'm a human by birth. Oobleck suggested we could talk to the civilians and calm them down," Jace finished with the bandanna and sighed, "Since me and Alyss are a couple, they should know that Faunus are friendly."

"Makes sense but…" Terra said and put her hands on her hips, "You really have to do that? Isn't it uncomfortable?"

"Fuck yeah it is," Jace said in irritation, "But if it'll help with keeping this peace, then I'll put up with it," He sighed and growled silently, "People are fucking stupid."

"So, we just have to wait and see what's what, right?" Paige asked them all.

"Yes, Paige. Just be patient." Tyr answered him.

"Raine. Are there any civilians in there?" Alyss asked her teammate.

"Sadly, yes," Raine answered very quietly, "But not a lot. Around thirty. Humans this time."

"Good thing it's not matching up to any old Fang rallies." Paige remarked.

"Hello. Are you six here about the Fireflies?" The group turned and saw Banesaw walking up toward them. His chain-claymore was on his back as he had his arms crossed.

"Yeah. We're here to stop them." Jace answered.

Banesaw nodded in understanding. "Would it be too much trouble for me to assist you in that mission?"

Jace hesitated. He knew he could trust the former lieutenant from him helping with taking back the city, and the help he and his men provided the citizens afterwards. But this was something Ironwood had tasked them to do. The eight of them alone. He didn't know what to do.

"It would help a lot, but," Jace sighed and bit his lip. "This is our first mission really. We want to prove ourselves."

Banesaw chuckled a bit. "Understandable, but you have already proven yourselves when you banded together to take this city and your school back. I will respect your wishes though."

"You could stay outside for backup," Alyss suggested, "In case something happens that we might need help with."

"That, I can do," The large Faunus replied and looked between Jace and Alyss, "You both should stay careful. Your love should not end due to the scum you are going against."

"Thank you for the concern." Jace said with a smile.

"Have you thought of any new names other than Equality?" Alyss asked.

"Perhaps the Flames of Hope? Perhaps if by seeing me change my ways, it will give people hope for the better."

"That does sound good," Jace remarked, "A lot better than just Equality, in my opinion."

"Humans of Vale! Listen to my words!" The group heard the yell through their scrolls. The leader of the Fireflies.

"An' here we fuckin' go." Auron said with a sigh.

"I have spoken with you time and time again! Yet you do not understand! You do not comprehend this dire situation! This _peace_ is a farce! You are not safe! Those in Equality have not changed! They are merely playing a façade in hopes to bring chaos in a greater form! They are not your allies and neither are the other Faunus! Open your eyes and see past their little mask of kindness! Do you not remember what happened one year ago? When they chose to bring Vale to its knees? They will turn on you when you least suspect it and it will end in your bloodshed if you do not act!"

Banesaw shook his head at the words the man said. "This man has been a thorn in my side for the past months that Vale has been retaken. Nearly every day of every week he has been doing this. The lies he spreads of us are not to be believed."

"We know. We trust you for what you have done to help." Tyr assured him.

"If you wish for your safety take up arms and strike first! Fight for yourselves and your own families! The councils will not help you! The Atlesian government will not help you! The Mistralians, the Vacuoans, the Atlesians will not help! You yourselves must push back unless you wish to perish like those the Fang has mercilessly killed!" The man continued. Then there were murmurs of agreement from a few in the crowd.

"Okay. We're on our way out. Ashe, let's go." Raine said and the two made their way from the building silently. It took them a few minutes to regroup with everyone.

"Man… Fuck that guy." Paige said in annoyance.

"How's it look?" Terra asked.

"Four people. The leader and his followers." Ashe answered, then Raine continued.

"Like what Emowyn said. One six foot tall human, two seven feet tall humans, and one seven foot tall goat Faunus. The three big ones carry clubs and the leader didn't have a weapon that I could see. No telling what they can do."

"Did you come up with a plan?" Paige asked them.

"We go in two to a group, cover the room and surround them. Make sure the civilians don't try anything, and put a stop to the Fireflies." Ashe answered.

"It's not gonna be that simple." Jace said dryly and they started to move.

Banesaw went with them and stayed outside while the two teams went in. The first pair was Jace and Raine, then they were followed by Auron and Alyss, Tyr and Ashe, and Paige and Terra. They spread themselves out and walked toward the thirty civilians as they crowded around the four men on the far side of the room. The warehouse was barren other than a few crates on one side, all tipped off of their shelves and a few broken open. There was a singular light that beamed down on the speaker, the light growing progressively darker toward the entrance of the building. When the eight students stepped into the light, the speaker immediately turned his attention to them.

"Ah, so the takers of Vale have decided to join us!" The leader called out and the three lumbering figures behind him brought their weapons out.

"Tell me, what is it you wish to accomplish here?" He asked them all.

"We're gonna stop your lies." Jace stated firmly and brought _Legacy_ off his back.

"So you would believe in this _peace_ too? Tell me, Jace _Storm_ , who was it that captured you two years ago? Who was it that turned you from human to Faunus?"

Jace's eyes widened at the question. _"How does he know!?"_ He asked himself in his head.

He regained himself and gritted his teeth. "Both Faunus _and_ humans." He replied.

"Humans paid by Faunus if I remember correctly," He said and turned to Auron, "And Auron Karmine. Who was it that killed your father?"

"The Lance are dead!" Auron snapped at him, "Yeah, it was Faunus. A few God damn corrupt Faunus."

"And who was it that the Crimson Lance came from? The White Fang!" The Fireflies leader yelled to all that were present.

"My Goddess told me every bit of what happened to you both. ' _These boys are children born of strife. These boys have been corrupted by vengeance, they took their revenge on those that had wronged them. It eats at their minds that all of that had happened to them…_ '" The man started to pace around in front of his acolytes, all the while grinning at the two teens.

"' _They have a place in our family_.' My Goddess has given me the opportunity to give you both true peace. I can offer you a way out of this madness. I offer you the ability to prevent that strife from taking you once more. I offer you a place among us…" He stopped pacing and held his hands out toward them as he lowered his deep voice to an almost hypnotizing level. He fell to his knees and glared at them.

"I would give you the chance to leave this place behind and start anew under _her_ guidance. All you have to do is-"

"No!" Jace cut him off and held his sword ready, "Just stop!" He looked at all the civilians that were staring at him, "We fought past that and we're here to protect anyone from the same hell we went through. We know this world is filled with hurt and suffering and death. It's like what my friend said before. That's why we're here. We want make it better so the ones that come after us can live in peace."

The leader smiled and laughed almost maniacally at Jace's words. He sobered quickly and brought his right hand in front of him as he stood back up. "Then allow me to reunite you with your family."

His hand glowed black and he launched multiple balls of ichor into the crowd. The civilians backed off quickly and the puddles of ooze started to bubble on the ground as black mist rose from them. Multiple figures started coming up from them and Jace started hearing a familiar, bone-chilling noise. The demonic moans of the humanoid Grimm. The Ghouls.

"Everyone get out, now!" Jace yelled to the civilians and they ran screaming from the warehouse. One of the Grimm shot out of the mist and slammed its blade into Jace's. He pushed back and slashed across to cut the Grimm in half. Raine quickly shot her arrows into twelve of the Grimm and brought her sword from her belt. As she drew it, she sliced the arm off one Ghoul and jabbed forward into its throat.

Auron blasted through their heads with the powerful blasts of his revolvers as Alyss fired bursts from _Soul Leaf_ into them. Tyr held the hilt of his sword with his left hand and near the tip of the blade with his prosthetic, giving him the stability to accurately stab between the gaps in their bone chestplates while Ashe unloaded the magazines of her pistols into them for crippling and killing shots. Terra blocked sword and club swings with _Bullhammer_ and kicked at their knees as Paige sent his heavy weapons in multiple directions, taking down the Grimm that Terra crippled and the ones around him as well.

"You have such hope for this world, don't you?" The leader asked them all as he watched as they effortlessly killed the Grimm. He raised his hands out to his sides and scowled at them. "Tell me! What is the power of hope to the man that lost his child!? Or to the mother that cannot even bear a child!? Who keeps trying and trying but fails every time!" The group of students walked forward toward where the four were standing.

"What is the power of hope to the urchin on the streets? To the boy who was taken and used for someone else's design? To the boy who's father was poisoned and died before his very eyes? To the girl who's own _father_ killed her mother? Tell me, what is the power of hope to those people?" He asked them all as they stood just in front of him.

"Just a small façade used to hide the ugly truth of this world. You do not understand that I cannot die. I have been revived time and time again by _her_ wish. You will all learn to fear _her_! You will fear ME! You will fear MY name! You will fear Harrix! The revenant of Salem!"

The goat Faunus broke from the leader's side and smashed his club into Paige's side, sending him skidding away. The leader shot out more ichor from his hands towards the floor behind them. Beore the Grimm could form, Jace sliced at the leader but heavy bone plating formed on his arms as he blocked the strike.

Ashe, Raine, Terra, and Alyss started to work on bringing the Ghouls down while Auron, Jace, Tyr, and Paige fought the Fireflies. Ashe once more emptied her magazines into them and Raine did the same with her arrows. Ashe reloaded and turned her pistols to their melee forms while Raine drew her sword again. Alyss jabbed her glaive forward into the gaps in the middle of their chest plates and blasted others around her with the shots from the blunt end. Terra parried their strikes and let their weapons fall to the sides as she placed disabling punches to break their arms, making them useless while Ashe sent fast slashes to their throats.

Auron blocked a swing by the unmasked human as the man just glared blankly at him. Auron saw the black veins around his red eyes seem to intensify with darkness as the man pushed Auron back. He brought his club down in an overhand strike that Auron dodged. He struck outward with _Last Call_ and scored a direct hit to the man's arm, cutting clean through. It fell to the ground as he still held his club in his left hand. Then, Auron noticed the stump bubbling with black ooze. He watched in shock as the arm grew back as if it had never been severed.

"What the hell!?" Auron exclaimed as the man brought his assault again.

Tyr brought the hilt of his sword into the larger human's head. He wasn't fazed by it at all and brought his club around and toward Tyr's side. Tyr brought _Earthcutter_ down just in time to block the attack, then the masked man brought his weapon to the other side, met with the same result. When the man brought his weapon up and back down for an overhand attack, Tyr jumped backwards to dodge it. He countered and dashed forward bringing his blade into both the man's arms, severing them. He turned and saw what Auron saw, both stumps bubbling wildly before the man's arms grew back.

"These are not human!" He called out to the others as the masked _thing_ picked up his club.

The sounds of a chainsaw heralded the arrival of Banesaw, shearing straight through the bone plating of the Ghouls that had kept spawning from the pools of ichor.

Paige heard his leader's warning and started to notice glowing red eyes under his opponent's mask. He parried its club and activated his semblance, growing another set of spectral arms. He brought both maces into its knees, sending it to the ground. He swung his real axe upward, but the Grimm warrior brought its club up again to block it. It bolted back to its feet and tackled Paige to the ground. It brought the weapon up to crush him, but Banesaw stepped in and sawed through its arms, then back through into its back. The black ooze poured from the Grimm as Banesaw cut it down. As it fell, he turned his attention to Paige and helped him to his feet, then they worked to thin the numbers of the humanoids.

"You would have been free from all of this!" The leader of the Fireflies yelled at Jace as he blocked a swing from _Legacy_.

"Being your _Goddess'_ slave isn't freedom." Jace replied and started to charge his blade with bolt dust.

He swung _Legacy_ back around and his opponent brought his bone plated arms up to block it. Jace quickly reversed his swing and turned the other way, catching him in the side. Harrix summoned bone to his fists in the form of spikes and punched out at Jace, striking him in the gut before he brought his sword back around. Harrix sent out fast strikes at Jace and hit him past his sword every time. Jace pushed back with his sword and opened the tip, then swung and fired a powerful blast sending the blade into the revenant's bone gauntlets. The force sent him straight into the far wall and away from Jace. He had no time to breath as the Ghouls surrounded him.

Tyr activated his semblance and summoned Fenrir. The wolf howled and Tyr pushed back against the Grimm he fought to give it a command. "Kill the Grimm!" Tyr ordered and the wolf bolted off after the ghouls. It crashed into them and tore out their throats as Tyr fought on against his opponent. It roared at him and spun around, giving the swing of its club added momentum. Tyr kneeled and held his sword by the hilt and the end of the blade, blocking the powerful strike. He pushed hard into the club and knocked the Grimm off balance, then he sliced at its head. The tip of the blade connected and it cut straight through its mask and drew a diagonal, black line in its face. It bled black as its mask fell to the ground.

It roared again and charged at Tyr in rage. He side-stepped and let the Grimm move past, then he rushed forward and sliced at it numerous times, drawing thick black lines in its skin. It turned and brought its club up for an overhand attack, but Tyr stepped forward and bashed _Earthcutter's_ pommel into its face, stunning it greatly. It dropped its arms and Tyr swung his blade downward, deep into its shoulder and into its chest. It fell to its knees and Tyr withdrew his blade, then he spun quickly in a counterclockwise rotation and brought his blade hard into its neck, severing its head and ending it.

Auron blocked a club swing with his shield and countered with his blade, sending it into the Grimm's shoulder. It headbutted him hard and stunned him, causing him to withdraw his blade and fall to a knee. It brought its knee into Auron's head and knocked him down to the ground. He quickly sent aura into the ground and rose himself back to his feet with a metal pillar, using the momentum to send his blade into its side. He sent more aura into the ground and brought a pillar into its gut, sending it backwards on its feet.

Auron swung his blade and sent it into the Grimm's other side. It screamed at him and slammed its forearm into Auron's head, dazing him and making him fall to a knee again. It raised its club up to strike, but Auron bolted forward and impaled the Grimm through the chest. It dropped its weapon as Auron pushed the Grimm from his blade, it fell to its knees and its head slumped forward. Auron raised _Last Call_ high into the air and brought it down hard, sending the blade through the Grimm's neck.

Jace cleaved down three more of the humanoids before Harrix came back and slammed his elbow into the back of Jace head, dazing him. Jace turned around but Harrix kept striking Jace in the head with his forearm, taking his aura down close to its limit. Jace fell to a knee and the revenant stepped back after pulling the bandanna off his head. "You are a fool to oppose us! You will fall, just like Nikos and just like your family!" He yelled and pushed Jace further to rage.

Jace activated his semblance and yelled back at him. "Don't you dare talk about them!" He bolted forward and grabbed Harrix's face, then flew with him up into the air. Jace threw him toward the ground and sent burn dust around his blade, making it burn furiously. He spun and sent aura through _Legacy_ , sending out a fireball toward Harrix. He swung again and sent another downward, both of them causing a small explosion, sending humanoid Grimm down around Harrix. He stood up and laughed toward Jace.

"You will not kill me!" He taunted.

Jace flew toward him and sent his sword against him, pulling the trigger along the way. The blast from the barrel sent the blade hard into the Harrix's bone gauntlets, sending him flying toward the front of the warehouse. He crashed through the wall and landed in the street as the civilians jumped back from the man. Jace flew through the hole in the wall and let his wings disappear as the people looked to him in shock.

"You people see this _boy_!? He was corrupted by the Faunus and was turned into a monster! Turned into a Faunus himself!" Harrix yelled toward the crowd.

"The only _monster_ here is you!" Jace yelled back at him and sent bolt dust along his blade. "A monster doesn't fight for the safety of the weak!"

"And what did you do to those people two years ago!?" Harrix asked him, "You ended their lives!"

"They were used in experiments run by humans! They were suffering!"

"And what gave you the right to end their lives!? What gave you the right to decide their fate!?"

"We did what we thought was right!"

"You took their fate into your own hands! You played God! My Goddess would have taken care of you and given you a true home! You-" Harrix's words stopped short as he felt something tearing at his insides. He clutched at his chest and went wide-eyed.

"What…? I-is it done?" He said as the others ran out of the warehouse. They stood with Jace as they stared at Harrix.

"S-she's gone… She is dead, finally…" He said and fell to his knee as a tired smile came across his lips with his hands falling to his sides. "I wonder how…"

Jace walked forward and held _Legacy_ in both his hands. He stopped in front of Harrix and the revenant looked up at him. His eyes turned a dull garnet color rather than glowing crimson. "My soul… is finally free. End it for me… please…" He requested and Jace was left speechless at the sad sound in his voice. He nodded after a moment and brought out _Ebon_. He aimed it in the middle of Harrix's chest and pulled the trigger.

His body fell over and started to dissipate into black dust. Jace re-holstered his pistol and took a deep breath as the others stepped toward him.

"It is done. Now I believe the humans need to be addressed." Banesaw said and everyone glanced over to the crowd.

"Everyone follow us to the docks. We're gonna have a talk there." Ashe said to them all and they quickly dispersed. Jace and the others followed quickly after.

No one noticed a masked Faunus disappear back behind a corner.

* * *

"Here is your bandanna." Banesaw said and handed the item to Jace.

Jace took it and shook his head. "It's not mine." He said and handed it over to Auron.

Banesaw looked at him curiously. "Why did you hide your ears?"

"Because I was supposed to tell the civilians that Faunus are on their side. You're gonna find it hard to believe, but I was born human."

"Born human… How is that possible?"

At that question, Jace grew uncomfortable and his body tensed a bit. Alyss felt it and squeezed his hand, comforting him. "You know the Crimson Lance." Jace stated.

Banesaw sighed. "Yes, they were a splinter group of the Fang before they were brought down."

"Their leader started those kidnappings last year and worked with a scientist. That scientist had me and my brother taken and he experimented on us."

"What!? I had no knowledge of this!"

"And it wasn't just humans. It was Faunus too. I'll spare you what all happened, but I was infused with Faunus DNA."

"Faunus DNA? But… how do you have the ears?"

"He's been around Alyss since they first met," Auron started to explain for Jace, "That DNA reacted to her scent an' it thinks Jace is a Faunus. He grew the ears over a few days when we were in Anima an' now he looks like a Faunus."

"That bear was a disgrace. Using living beings in such a manner… I am glad you four put an end to him."

"So am I." Jace said.

"So… you are truly a human, correct?"

"Yes, I am. But I'm not mad I have cat ears. I'm mad because of how it happened."

"Hmm… You both are a peculiar couple." Banesaw said to both Jace and Alyss.

"What makes you say that?" Alyss asked.

The large Faunus sighed. "Throughout my life, I have been led to believe that humans want nothing to do with the Faunus. I have been moving past that these past months. But seeing you both as a couple, a boy that should be a human and a Faunus, it is just very strange to me."

Alyss smiled widely at him. "Our friend told us before that if you let petty things like _race_ get in the way of love, then you aren't seeing clearly."

"That is a good way to think in this world."

Jace gave a sigh. "I know that a lot of humans have made things hard for the Faunus all over Remnant, but a lot more see you guys as equals already. I know the SDC are probably the worst of everyone when it comes to that. But if you met Weiss, their heiress or maybe former heiress now, then you'd see that she's not like that at all. She moved past that and she made some Faunus friends at Beacon," Jace looked up to the large Faunus and gave a nod, "You can't focus on the bad people. Just focus on the good."

"If it was a few months ago, I would try to kill her," Banesaw sighed, "But after hearing both Blake and you talk about her, I would like to actually meet her."

"If you ask her girlfriend, then she'd say Weiss can be, well, a bit _difficult_ at first," Alyss said with a small grin, "But you'd just need to give her time."

Banesaw nodded. "I hope she will give me a chance after I nearly killed her before."

"I gave someone a chance after she caused my family to die," Jace said with a small frown, "I'm sure Weiss could do the same for you."

Banesaw grunted and _hummed_ a bit as he held his hand to his shoulder. "You both are mated, correct?"

"Yeah. Happily." Alyss said gladly.

"And I sense that you both have a mark, but how?" Banesaw asked in confusion, "A human, by all understanding of our differing biology, cannot give a Faunus a mark. How is it that you were able to?"

"That DNA," Jace said, "It didn't just give me these ears. At first, I just had night-vision and better hearing and smell. Then that DNA started to really turn active and switch up my biology, and I started getting the urge to mate. I grew fangs, my eyes go slitted at certain times, and I found out when we tried the mark that I have a Faunus' natural instincts."

Alyss blushed and smiled a bit. "I don't think you really had to tell him that _last_ part."

Jace smiled and kissed her on the cheek. "Sorry. I just wanted to be clear on it."

"So, that let you give Alyss a mark… And your instincts are of a Faunus now. All because of your DNA changing?" Banesaw echoed and rubbed his chin, "You two _are_ a very peculiar couple."

* * *

"What he said was true… I am not a real Faunus. I was born human… I did kill the other people that were there…" Jace said to the assembled civilians at the docks, "They were completely disfigured by the experiments done to them. Bird skulls, larger arms and legs, and they were crystallized. Me and my brother put them out of their misery from that hell. I hope you can understand."

"Why didn't it happen to you?" One of the people asked him.

"He didn't get around to putting Grimm DNA in us. He only put dust and Faunus DNA in our bodies. Since we had control of our aura, our bodies didn't get crystallized. We did put an end to them though. There won't be any more kidnappings like that."

"And what about the Faunus? They won't turn against us will they?" Another person asked fearfully.

"No. They won't," Jace said and grabbed Alyss' hand, "Believe me when I say that you have nothing to fear from the Faunus. You never did. If you just give them a chance and not be afraid or hateful of them, they'll help you and fight for you. And you should help them and fight for them too."

"And you all have my word that I have changed and the Flames of Hope will stay on your side," Banesaw bowed his head to the crowd, "I cannot atone for all that we have done. But you have my word that we will stay and work by your sides and bring down the corruption of the White Fang."

The crowd started to disperse and Jace and the others looked to each other. "I think that went well." Alyss remarked.

"I can only hope." Banesaw said.

"You just have to give it time." Tyr responded.

"We need to get back to Beacon," Jace said and held his hand out to the large Faunus, "Thanks for the backup."

He took it and shook it firmly. "You are welcome." He said and walked away.

Jace and the others went to his and Auron's vehicles and left the docks.

* * *

"Harrix is dead." The chameleon Faunus said to the other in the darkened room.

"Really now?" The white-haired wolf Faunus asked, disbelief apparent in his words.

"Yes. A group of Hunters-in-training and the traitor killed the Fireflies hours ago."

"Now we won't have to waste our time, then," The wolf Faunus said in a bit of humor, "Alright then. Send word to Khan. I'll start recruitment immediately."

"I'll let her know right away." The chameleon Faunus said and left the room.

"Fraiya, get ready," The wolf said to the snake Faunus in the corner, "Let's go scout for recruits."

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: Not a whole lot left to go now, but it's a lot if that makes any sense. But that's the Fireflies dealt with.**

 **I swear it's getting close to the end.**

 **I wonder if anyone will know who I based them off of…**

 **See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	68. Chapter 67: Peace

**Peace**

"You've returned already?" Glynda remarked as teams JKDW and APCT entered the library, "That was… surprisingly quick."

"Yeah. The Fireflies won't be a problem anymore." Jace answered.

"And what happened to them?" Ironwood asked, "Did you have to… _end_ them?"

"They were not even human," Tyr answered and Glynda motioned for them to sit down. They did and Tyr continued. "They were some type of Ghouls. We killed them."

"Ghouls again? That is disturbing." Ironwood remarked.

"The leader said something about their Goddess or whatever dying," Jace said and brought Ironwood and Glynda's attention toward him, "It made him fall to his knees and grab at his chest. Then… he asked me to kill him."

"Their Goddess?" Glynda echoed and sighed quietly, "Hmm. In any case, you eight have completed your mission. You have proven my worries wrong about sending you."

"You all may leave and take a long break. You've all earned it." Ironwood said to them.

"Thank you." They all said and left the library.

"We will take our leave now," Tyr said and nodded towards JKDW, "It was a pleasure to fight by your side."

"You too. Stay safe." Jace replied and APCT left toward the dorms for the exchange students.

"Take it easy!" Auron called after them.

"Always try!" Paige called back.

Terra turned around and gave a smirk. "Trust me! Me and Paige are gonna do everything _but_ relax!"

"Have fun then!" Alyss called with a laugh. JKDW continued walking on to their dorm as the sun dipped down over the horizon.

"I figured that would take longer." Jace said and sighed.

"Me too," Raine replied and looked over to him, "You're gonna go back to being worried aren't you?"

"Probably."

Alyss pulled herself closer to him and held into his arm as they walked. "They'll be okay. I bet they're on their way back now."

Jace smiled and kissed her on the top of the head. "That's what I'm hoping."

* * *

In the cafeteria during breakfast the next morning, they were playing a game of Rummy while they ate. They had started the day with no plans on anything to do. Their weapons were in top shape, there was no more to clean up in the city or on campus, there were no more Grimm to exterminate in the city, the Flames of Hope were having rallies to smooth out Faunus and human relations, and there was just nothing to do.

"Jace, stop biting your lip." Alyss said at Jace's side and Jace immediately stopped.

"Yeah. That's Alyss' job." Auron said with a smirk.

"Shhhut up, Auron." Alyss blushed and Auron and Raine laughed loudly.

Jace shook his head and kissed Alyss on the cheek. "Thanks for telling me, Alyss." He said to her.

"I just don't want you to bleed again," She said and kissed him, "Y'know, unless it's _me_ biting you."

"Calm it down, you two. We're in the cafeteria." Auron said with a grin.

The card game ended with Raine winning, having emptied her hand and raising her score to over one hundred. They finished their food and took their trays back to the kitchen after dumping the scraps and trash, then left the cafeteria and headed for their dorm.

"Hey Jace, can I fly with you sometime?" Alyss asked her mate.

Jace glanced at her with a smile. "I think we can do that. You might like it."

"I think I will," Alyss answered, "When we were launched into the forest on initiation day, I loved that feeling of flying."

"It _does_ feel pretty good." Jace agreed with her.

"Y'know what we need?" Auron asked the group and they looked at him, "A drink. How 'bout it?"

Jace scratched his head and thought on it. "Probably… yeah, that'd actually be good. What do you two think?" Jace asked the other two.

"If it might help you relax, then let's go." Alyss agreed.

"Same here. Let's just not let dad or Emowyn know." Raine said with a grin.

"Are you gonna ask Shyla to go?" Alyss asked the tall gunslinger.

"Yeah, I am," Auron answered and brought his scroll out, "You guys are alright with it, right?"

"Of course we are," Alyss assured him, "Just ask. I want to meet her."

The other two nodded their agreement and Auron smiled. "Thanks." He said and sent the message.

After a few moments, Auron's scroll buzzed and he checked the message he received. He smiled widely and put his scroll up. "She said she'd love to go an' to meet you guys."

"Alright, let's go get ready then," Jace said and they started walking toward the dorms again, "Since I don't mind cold water now, I can take a shower last."

"Well isn't that nice of you," Alyss said with a smile, "I say Auron should get it first so he can have more time to get ready."

"And ain't that nice of you," Auron laughed and glanced up to the sky, "She'll be waitin' near the Rangers' place around seven. We got a bit o' time to get ready since it's just eleven."

Alyss smiled at seeing Auron so excited. "It's good seeing you happy, Auron."

* * *

They waited by their vehicles near the Ranger's base and waited for Shyla to arrive. Jace wore his one-winged warrior shirt and his new backpack-like harness under a short-sleeve button-up shirt and he wore gray jeans and black boots. Alyss wore her oakleaf necklace and a low-cut dark purple dress that extended down to her knees with a slit going up the side of her right thigh and three white stripes going across the legs. The middle was a sheer black and showed off her stomach. With it, she wore a pair of black Mistralian sandals with multiple straps going across her feet in different directions. From her ankles, they extended halfway up her calves with different buckles and laces. She also wore the handstockings from her combat outfit.

Raine wore a leaf-green T-shirt with the emblem of the Rangers on the front, and black pants, deciding to not wear her cloak for the night. She still had her bow and arrows though, as a Ranger is never without their weapon. Auron left his duster at the dorm for a nicer look for the occasion. He wore his pair of well-kept, black jeans and a black T-shirt, leaving the tattoo of his emblem halfway exposed on his shoulder and upper arm. He had both his revolvers with him also.

"Hey Alyss, have I told you that you look beautiful in that dress?" Jace asked his mate.

"Mmmaybe five times, yeah," She answered him with a giggle, "But I _do_ like hearing it."

"Oum, you two are insufferable." Auron said with a grin.

That caused Raine to laugh. "I've never heard you use a word like that. You've been hanging around Weiss too much."

"Ain't my fault she throws those words around a lot." Auron replied.

"Hey Raine, did Vivi say if she wanted to go?" Jace asked and looked past Alyss at her.

"Oh, yeah she did. I forgot to say. She should be here-"

"Right now."

Raine jumped as Vivi's arms wrapped around her waist, causing her to giggle.

"She'll be here right now I guess." Raine craned her head up and kissed her on the cheek, "Quit using your semblance to sneak up on me."

"This one makes no promises," Vivi laughed, "I'm looking forward to enjoying this. Thanks for inviting me." She said to them all with a smile. She left her cloak behind as well and wore black pants and a dark blue, short sleeve, button-up shirt with a few buttons undone at the top. She wore a black, low-cut shirt under it. Instead of her swords being on her hips, she had them strapped across her back for the night. Something Jace had noticed before, but never payed much attention to, was that Vivi always wore a long, dark-blue ribbon around her right forearm.

"Don't mention it," Jace smiled back, "Since there's me and Alyss, then Auron and Shyla, I figured that we could have a kind of triple-double date or something."

"It's so Raine wouldn't feel left out." Alyss chimed in.

"That's nice of you. You guys are good friends." Vivi said and kissed Raine on the top of her head and they all waited for Shyla to show up.

"You haven't told Preacher, have you?" Raine asked Auron with a grin.

"Oum no. I will sometime, but not right now," Auron gave a bark of laughter and shook his head, "He'd be teasin' the hell outta me."

"It's surprising he hasn't said anything to me yet."

"That's probably because you're a Ranger like him an' I'm a bit more like family since he's been there since before me an' sis was born. I don't know what goes through that old head o' his."

Vivi snorted and shook her head. "This one doubts that anyone knows what goes on in his head."

Auron and Raine laughed loudly. "I gotta agree." Auron said with a grin.

After another ten minutes of waiting, Auron glanced and saw Shyla rounding the corner of the building and smiled. She wore a black dress with a design of white wings on the front near the top and a necklace with three crosses hanging down separately. She had on a pair of short high-heels and had her hair hanging freely across her shoulders and back. Now that she was facing them, Jace and Alyss saw that she had bright-pink eyes. She smiled toward Auron as she greeted him.

"Hi Auron." She greeted lightly.

"Hi," Auron smiled widely and turned to the others, "Shyla, these are my friends an' teammates. Jace Reznor, Alyss Wystar, Raine Daturas," Auron placed a hand on the blue and black-haired Ranger's shoulder, "An' this is Vivi Strife. Ranger of Vale. Guys, this is Shyla."

"Nice to meet you all." She greeted a bit shyly.

"You too Shyla." Alyss bowed her head a bit toward her, "I like how your hair is dyed. It's pretty."

She smiled shyly. "Thanks. I hope you don't mind, but," She looked between Jace, Alyss, Raine and Vivi nervously, "You're some of the first Faunus I've really met, so I'm _really_ nervous."

"It's alright," Vivi assured her, "This one would be surprised if your weren't nervous with meeting a different race for the first time."

"You'll get used to it." Raine said with a smile.

Shyla smiled at them and nodded. "Thanks for understanding."

"I'm actually surprised you haven't said anything about me and Raine. Good _or_ bad." Vivi said with a smile, showing she meant nothing by it.

"Oh, I don't mind you two being together. My best friend is bi. I've always supported her. You both look kinda cute together…"

"Thanks." Raine said with a giggle.

"That's the first time I've heard you giggle, Raine." Alyss remarked.

"Oh, she giggled all the time when we spent time together at the Gatherings." Vivi said with a smile.

Raine blushed and rolled her eyes. "Hush, you."

"Should we head out now?" Auron asked the group with a grin and received nods.

"Let's get goin' then."

* * *

Jace pulled into a parking spot and pulled off his helmet. He glanced around and Alyss got off of _Titan_ as Auron parked his truck. Jace retrieved _Standoff_ and set it on his back, then held Alyss' hand as they walked over to the truck.

"Any plans on drinks?" Jace asked the group, then turned to Alyss, "Except for you because I know what you're getting."

"Same thing as you. It's an easy guess." Alyss replied to him.

"Probably just whiskey. This one isn't a fan of complicated drinks." Vivi said and waited for Raine to jump from the truck.

"I'm getting a Grimm Sunshine. They're pretty good. You should try one, Vivi." She said with a smile.

"Maybe I will. We'll see."

"What're you gettin', Shyla?" Auron asked his date.

She gave it some thought and bit her lip. "I don't know. I might just get a Cherry Sunrise, they're pretty good." She said quietly.

"That's one thing we have in common," Alyss smiled at the brunette, "I love them."

Shyla smiled lightly at her. "That's cool that we do."

"She got me to love them too." Jace said as well.

"I'm goin' for a Big Ursa. Let's head inside." Auron said and led them all in with Shyla by his side.

Auron was let in quickly by one of Junior's men and he led the group through the doors. The club owner looked up from where he was cleaning the counter and took a sharp breath. He saw the group of six enter and sighed a bit when he saw that Yang wasn't present.

The place wasn't packed full like when Yang had taken them there before. There were only some people scattered around at tables, talking and enjoying their time. There was no dancing or drinking or overly loud music, only people content with relaxing now that their home was coming back to order.

"I honestly didn't expect to see you all again." Junior said as the group walked up to the bar.

"Same here," Jace said and looked around, "Have you been alright?"

"We survived, that's about it." Junior answered with a shrug. "Had to clean up outside for a while to make it look presentable again, but oh well. We're still standing," He looked at Jace curiously, "I don't remember you having cat ears."

"That's because they were pressed against my head. I wasn't used to the noise." Jace replied easily, having expected something to be said.

"We were more used to it." Alyss said for her and Raine.

"Ah. Yeah, I get that. A lot of Faunus usually try to do that on first visits."

"Are you serving drinks yet?" Jace asked.

Junior nodded. "Yeah, since the city's been cleared up."

"Has anyone even been here other than these people?" Alyss asked and looked around at the other club-goers.

"A few. I told them to spread the word that I'm back open. Don't know when a lot'll show up though, but I'm serving."

"Good, because I didn't want this to be a wasted trip." Jace said.

"Well, what'll ya have?"

"Three Cherry Sunrises." Jace answered and received a thankful nod from Shyla.

"Two Grimm Sunshines." Vivi ordered for her and Raine.

"Big Ursa." Auron said eagerly.

As Junior and one of the other bartenders made up their drinks, he addressed the group. "So where's Blondie at? I've kinda been worried because she hasn't been here bugging me. I'm surprised she's not with you."

"She's out of town for a bit. She'll be back soon though, hopefully." Alyss answered.

"I guess since you all probably helped with taking back Vale…" Everyone but Shyla nodded, "drinks are on the house for the night. Same for her when she gets back."

"We appreciate it. Thank you." Vivi nodded toward him.

The drinks were finished soon after. Auron, Raine, and Vivi finished their shots quickly and Auron ordered a Broken Skull beer while the two Rangers did without anything else. The group quickly moved to a booth near the back and sat down in the softer seats.

"So um, do you guys always take your weapons everywhere?" Shyla asked almost everyone before she took a sip of her drink.

"Rangers always have their weapons with them," Raine answered and leaned her bow against the table, "It's a habit."

"I always at least keep my revolvers on me. It don't really feel right without 'em." Auron answered with a shrug.

"That would make sense I guess. Especially with what you told me before," Shyla took another sip of her drink and turned to Jace, "What about you?" She asked quietly.

"It used to be my brother's. I always keep it with me as a reminder of him."

"If you don't mind me asking, what happened that has you keeping his sword?"

Jace smiled lightly and sighed. "I don't mind. I've answered the question a lot. He died two years ago, I also lost my left arm and got a prosthetic. That was before I came here."

"Oh… I'm sorry to hear that." Shyla said and looked into her drink.

"Don't worry about it. Maybe Auron could tell you all of the details of it sometime. I'm really tired of telling all of that fully," Jace glanced at her and noticed her eyes were on his prosthetic arm and smiled, "Just so you know, I don't mind if you want to ask about my arm."

"Oh! I'm sorry!" Shyla said and her eyes bolted from Jace's prosthetic, "I just didn't wanna be rude and ask after you said it."

Jace let out a laugh and shook his head. He took a drink of his Cherry Sunrise and everyone else grinned. "It's alright," Auron said and looked at Shyla, "He really don't care."

"So, are you training to be a Huntress?" Alyss asked to take the focus from Jace's arm.

Shyla shook herself and looked toward her. "No, I'm actually not. That's something that I never felt like I was meant for."

"Well, some things aren't for some people." Jace shrugged and rested his arms on the table.

"What is it you do, then?" Raine asked and tilted her head.

"I'm actually working as a weapons development engineer for Century Arms. I've been off work for awhile since Vale fell, but thanks to all of you it should hopefully pick back up soon."

"Oh, that's pretty cool," Jace said and leaned forward a bit, "I got some stuff for my pistol from you guys awhile back. A slide and grip with runes on the sides that light up."

"Oh, I remember that order. I actually designed that myself. If you don't mind, I'd like to see how it looks sometime."

"No problem. So, what else do you guys make?"

"Oh, for now I just help with designing different weapons parts and modifications," Shyla's voice sounded less nervous now that she was talking about what she did, "It's stuff like different sights and scopes, higher grade receivers, actuators, dust chambers, and we make kinda basic swords and melee weapons like that."

"I think we got a friend that would love to meet you." Auron said with a laugh.

"Before all of that with the Dragon, we were actually working with S&S munitions on caseless ammunition that'll be only available to Hunters. Well, they _will_ have casings to them but they're made to burn up and turn to dust so there's no mess and they _shouldn't_ jam up in your weapons with shells or anything. I can't really go into details but it's actually really cool."

"That's pretty interesting, but I think this one will stick with _Obsidian_." Vivi said and patted at the hilts of her swords next to her.

"That would be pretty nice for my rifle, actually," Raine said and grinned toward Shyla, "Are you sure you're even supposed to tell us about that?"

"I'm really _not_ since the ammunition is still experimental," Shyla replied and looked through all of them, then leaned in a bit, "But it's alright since you guys are Hunters."

"How large of mods and parts do you guys make?" Jace asked.

She thought for a moment as she sipped on her drink and tried to remember. " _Fairly_ large really. There was a girl that made an order for large custom parts a couple years ago. We ended up making more on assembly for anyone else that would need to buy them."

"What about for an Artillery Claymore?" Jace grinned as he saw her head tilt in confusion.

"Umm… an artillery what?"

"I'd have to show you. Now, how about we all drink?"

* * *

The group of six arrived back at the Rangers' base and stepped from their vehicles. It was ten in the evening when they arrived and Shyla was about to leave.

"I'm sorry if I acted a bit weird at first." Shyla said to them all and held her hands in front of her.

"You weren't acting weird. You were just nervous to be around some Faunus. It's okay." Alyss assured her.

"Thank you Alyss. It was good to meet all of you."

"You too," Jace said and grinned at her, "It was nice of you to let us know about what goes on in an arms company. Plus I got to see how a weapon designer thought of my sword."

"And you made it yourself with mostly scrap metal from a Spider Tank?"

"It's true, I really did. All of them except for Vivi watched me work for two months on putting it together," Jace opened the right case of his motorcycle and took the weapon out. He put his aura through it, opening the tip and making the red runes on the blade glow, then he extended the blade to its full width. "I'm really proud of it." He said and retracted the blade, then rested it on his shoulder.

"You did really good with it, but it's not the craziest weapon I've seen. The girl we made those large parts for came by to pick them up and her scythe was just insane!"

"A scythe? It didn't happen to be a sniper-scythe did it?" Auron asked with a grin.

"It _was_ actually. How did you guess?" Shyla asked and glanced at him.

"'Cause as far as I know, there's only two people that use scythes. One of 'em uses a crazy-ass sniper-scythe painted red an' black. That's Ruby, the one we said would love to meet you."

"Does she have a red cloak?" Shyla asked and they all nodded. "Oh Oum, she showed it off to anyone there that would pay attention until I think her sister dragged her out by her hood," She let out a short giggle at the memory, "She was _really_ excited, but nice."

"Yeah, she is. Her sister is really nice too." Jace agreed.

Shyla checked the time on her scroll and sighed. "I should probably get home soon. I'd like to hang out with you guys again."

"Same here. I'm really happy that you're a friendly person." Alyss said with a smile.

"Well, I guess I'll get going, bye everyone."

"I uh… I wanna talk to you for a minute before you go, if you don't care." Auron said nervously and looked toward her.

"Yeah, sure. See you guys later." She said to the others and the two walked a short distance away.

"That actually took my mind off of everything for a while." Jace said with a smile and returned _Legacy_ to its spot in its case next to _Standoff_.

"It was good to be able to relax for a bit. I'm glad to be able to spend time with my love." Vivi said and kissed Raine on the lips.

Raine smiled and hugged her. "I hope we can do this again soon. But I know that it's not likely."

"Because Rangers hardly have the luxury. Right Vivi?" Jace asked, remembering what Vivi had told him when they first met.

Vivi sighed and nodded. "Exactly. That's why this one always takes these small breaks when they pop up."

"It's something that you should try to take advantage of, Jace." Alyss said and Jace could hear a bit of pleading in her voice.

"I know I should and I'll try. Let's just-" Jace stopped speaking when he looked past them, "Would you look at that…"

They all turned to see what Jace saw and smiled. Auron stood close with Shyla in a light hug, leaning down and kissing her on the lips. They turned around before Auron noticed them all staring and looked at each other with smiles.

"It's good he found someone." Jace said with a smile.

* * *

 **One and a half months later**

Team JKDW bolted awake at the sounds of heavy knocking on their door. Jace and Alyss raised out of their bed and shook the sleep from their eyes. Raine already stood and moved to her desk where her bow was, not trusting the heavier-than-needed knocking on their door. Auron groaned and raised himself slowly from his bed and glanced at his team, then went toward the door.

"I swear to Oum, if that's Preacher again this damn early…" Auron grumbled and opened the door.

"You kids get your asses up and get to the office." Qrow said and walked back down the hall.

"What for?" Auron asked after him, but received no answer.

"Damn it. What time is it?" He asked the others.

"It's eight." Jace answered and found clothes to change into.

"This damn early?" Auron shook his head and looked trough his dresser drawer, "The hell's so important?"

"I don't know, but we should go as soon as we can." Raine set her bow back on the desk and went to her and Jace's dresser.

It took them thirty minutes to get dressed and ready, then another fifteen to get to the tower. Like Glynda had said, there was no type of ceremony to officially reclaim Vale yet, but the tower was ready to connect the kingdom back to the rest of Remnant. They walked through the automated doors and looked around. It was almost the same as before with all the different computers lining the walls and the pillar in the middle. The only difference was that it was mostly white and glossy from Atlas' side of architecture. The group entered the elevator and went up to the office.

After a thirty second ride, the elevator _dinged_ and the doors opened. The group walked through the doors and looked in surprise at those in the room.

"You're back!?" Jace exclaimed at seeing RWBY and JNR standing around the desk where one particular man sat gratefully.

"Yeah, we're back." Ruby answered with a tired smile.

"We just got here too. So we _really_ wanna get to bed." Jaune added.

"Yes, please go to your dorms. You've all earned this rest." Ozpin said from his seat.

They all nodded and turned toward the elevator. "We'll be up for talkin' tomorrow. I guess we probably have to move our beds in too." Yang groaned as they walked by the arrivals.

"Don't worry about that, we moved your beds in for you. We guessed you'd all be tired." Alyss said and they all sighed in relief.

"That is just _awesome_ to hear." Nora said tiredly.

Blake stepped forward from Ruby's side and handed Jace his book. "I took this with me to keep me and Ruby occupied on the way back. We finished it." She smiled.

Jace took it and nodded. "Hope you liked it. Go on and get some rest." He said to them all.

"Don't need to tell us twice." Ruby said as she took Blake's hand and led the group to the elevator.

After the doors closed, the remaining four walked forward to Ozpin's desk. "This is quite strange, I will admit. This office is more white than I remember." He joked and looked through the four of them.

"What happened to you sir? After the battle, you just… disappeared." Jace said and Ozpin pressed a button on his desk for chairs to come up from the floor.

"Oh, that will be handy, I'll need to thank James for that. Would you four please have a seat first?" The group complied and sat down in the surprisingly comfortable chairs, "Now, I believe you four are owed an explanation to my disappearance as well. First though, I would like to thank you four for helping take back Beacon. You could've continued your training in another academy, but you chose to help take back this kingdom. You all have my thanks."

"It wasn't a problem sir," Auron replied easily, "Me an' Jace had to come back either way."

"So did I." Alyss added.

"You have my deepest gratitude. Now, as to why I have disappeared," Ozpin took a long drink from his mug and set it on the desk, "While fighting Cinder Fall, I was able to get away from her. She went to my old office to my understanding and Ms. Nikos, you," He pointed towards Jace, "And Ms. Rose all had a hand in stopping her. It is… a horrible shame that Ms. Nikos fell in battle…" He lowered his gaze for a few moments, then he rose his eyes back to the four.

"What I did during my disappearance was find the woman who was truly pulling the strings. I failed and was captured. I underestimated her, I was tortured and she always took time from her day to tell me I have failed us all and humanity would fall. That went on for an entire year while every one of you worked toward your own goals and rallied together. RWBY and what remains of JNPR saved me from the nightmare that _was_ that place. I am truly grateful to you all."

"You really don't have to thank us sir. It's our home. Of course we'd try to fight for it." Raine said with a smile.

"Yes, I know that. One peculiar thing that I have been told from Ms. Rose and Mr. Arc is how you arrived to the top of the tower, Jace," Ozpin looked at Jace curiously as his eyes narrowed a bit, "Would you care to show me your semblance?"

Jace nodded and stood up. "Yeah, I can show you." Jace took a deep breath and pulsed his aura through his body, activating both stages of his semblance and growing the silver wings, "This is how. From what I understand, it's an evolution of my semblance. It's still weird."

Ozpin looked at him in wonder for a few moments before smiling again. "Mr. Reznor, that is a very interesting development. When did this become, let's say, 'unlocked?'"

"It was when I saw the Crimson Lance leader during the invasion. He told me my brother was weak, and I activated my semblance to go after him and it just happened." Jace deactivated his semblance and sat back down with another deep breath.

"Hmm… interesting indeed. I also understand that one of the ones responsible turned herself in. Has she been cooperative?"

Raine nodded quickly. "She has been. She told Jace that Cinder made Emerald suppress her emotions when working for her. She didn't want to hurt anyone anymore so she told us where Hawk, Adam, and Cinder were. If it wasn't for her, we might have been dead because of the Dragon."

"I suppose she would deserve a second chance then."

"She was the one that caused me and Genesis to get kidnapped two years ago," Jace gave a small smile, "I forgive her. I'm the one that suggested she help drive back the Grimm too."

Ozpin looked at him in surprise, then his face lightened to a smile. "That takes a great soul to be able to do that for someone who caused you great strife. You are a good person."

Jace smiled back at him. "Thank you, sir. I'm… actually surprised you haven't asked about my ears." He said and twitched his cat ears around.

"I have been given the explanation of it by the others. Your DNA reacted to Ms. Wystar's scent, thus you grew the ears. Correct?"

"Yes sir."

Ozpin nodded. "I believe I must prepare for a ceremony to declare Vale as officially reclaimed. You four should go and relax while you can." He suggested and the team stood from the seats, which immediately retracted back into the floor.

"I really must thank James for that."

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: This one was what the title said. They had a nice time at Junior's and we learned a bit about Shyla. A weapon designer that had a hand in keeping _Crescent Rose_ in good condition. And now Auron has someone to love too. You never know what'll happen but Auron found out that sometimes, darkness can show you the light.**

 **And we have the returns of RWBY, JNR, and Ozpin. I just kept Ozpin's disappearance pretty simple because that isn't the main focus of this story.**

 **See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	69. Chapter 68: Under the Trees

**Under The Trees**

Team JKDW made their way back to their dorm, but walked slowly to enjoy the peace of the moment. Their friends were back and their headmaster was back. All safe but tired. It was a great relief to Jace that they returned. As he walked hand in hand with Alyss, his mind went back to when he first met them all. Back to RWBY saving his life, JNPR welcoming him, Auron giving him a hand with the thug, helping Raine against that same thug and training with her, and Alyss coming into his life by healing his arm. He loved her with every bit of himself and he'd do his damnedest to have all of their backs if they needed it. He just hoped that he would never again be just in time to be too late.

The meeting with Ozpin didn't take long at all and they were out of the tower by ten. The weather was extremely pleasant at the moment and they each took their time to enjoy it. Jace looked to his team and felt a large sense of happiness at being with them, especially his mate. He smiled happily at the peace.

Alyss sent a small probe of her aura toward Jace's mark and felt the complete joy and happiness he was feeling. It was so strong that it had caused her to smile widely. "What're you thinking about?" She asked him.

"Nothing really. Just really happy and glad to be here and to have such a damn good team and amazing mate." He answered and kissed her on the lips.

After a moment, she pulled back and smiled. "Aww, that's sweet, Jace." She said and kissed him again.

"Alright, so…" Auron said and gained their attention, "What are we gonna do?"

Jace gave it some thought and bit his lip. "I'd say it'll take Ozpin a while to prepare the ceremony, so you two could invite your families to Vale for it." He said toward both Auron and Raine.

"I know Emowyn is probably still here watching over Emerald. So that's mine. Dad's gonna be there anyways and he'll probably get mom and my uncle." Raine replied.

"I can call mom later. She'd probably be wantin' to get outta the house for awhile," Auron said with a grin, "Same with Preacher, probably. Gail could probably use a break from work too."

"Oh, I need to call Zack sometime!" Alyss said suddenly.

"Who's Zack?" Jace asked her.

"He's my old friend from Vacuo. We dated before, but we broke up before I came to Vale. We stayed good friends."

"Do I get to meet him?" Jace grinned.

"Maybe if he can come. I'll call him tomorrow. Until then, maybe we can go to a park and relax for a bit." Alyss suggested to them.

"That sounds good," Jace agreed and smiled, "Y'know, I need to start reading this book." He said and looked at its cover.

"I'm good for a day at the park." Auron agreed as well.

"Same here. A good tree to lay under would be really nice." Raine said and the team picked up the pace to their dorm.

They rounded the corner of the building and stepped through the double doors, then ascended the stairs. They reached the top and immediately smelled the scent of food being baked, specifically pancakes. They followed the smell for a few moments and saw Ren standing in the kitchen.

"I figured you'd be asleep by now, Ren." Auron stated and drew the cook's attention.

"I am actually wide awake, Nora is as well. She has gone without her favorite food for several months," Ren answered with a small smile, "I am correcting that before I allow myself to sleep."

"That's sweet of you Ren," Alyss said to him, "I think we should leave you alone to it then."

"Very well. It was thoughtful of you to move our beds in for us. Have a pleasant day."

"Oh, and Ren," Jace said and got his attention once more, "Thanks again. For putting Genesis' emblem on his headstone."

"It was no trouble, Jace."

They left Ren alone and walked back toward their dorm again, going quietly past RWBY and JNR's doors. They reached their own room and went in to prepare for their day.

"Do you think Shyla or Vivi would want to come with us?" Jace asked Auron and Raine.

Raine sighed and shook her head. "I doubt Vivi would be able to. But I can try to see."

"I'll see about Shyla real quick too." Auron said and brought his scroll out.

Jace went to his desk and laid his book down, looking at the cover art for it. Three warriors crossing their weapons with a warhammer behind each of them while Grimm surrounded them all. He nodded to himself and took the book on dust from the shelf. He tilted his head a bit and pursed his lips in thought.

"Hey Auron, how do you feel about reading?" He asked the tall teen.

"Depends on what it is," He answered and glanced at Jace from his scroll, "Why?"

Jace tossed the book to him and he caught it in his free hand. "Happy early-birthday. That might help you with dust and aura."

Auron looked the book over and his scroll buzzed. "Huh, thanks," He said and checked his scroll, then his face lit up in a wide smile, "Shyla's comin' with us."

Raine felt her scroll buzz as well and went to look at the message. Her eyes widened a bit and she smiled as well. "Vivi said she'd come too."

"Alright then," Jace said with a smile as he looked trough his team, "I think that just for today we should take an airbus and walk. Just so we can take it slow." He suggested and received nods from them.

"That sounds nice," Alyss said after a moment, then remembered something, "Oh! Have them meet us outside Junior's. There's a really nice park near there that I went to a long time ago. I know the perfect and quietest spot to relax."

"That's where we'll go then." Jace said as he picked his book up again, then they filed from the room.

* * *

"Soooo… Why are you bringing _Ebon_?" Alyss asked as Jace made sure it had rounds in it.

"Shyla wanted to see what it looked like with the runes. I figure I'd bring it with me." Jace answered and slid his pistol back into its holster. "Why'd you bring _Atronach_?" He asked with a grin.

"Oh… well… I think she would like to see the lights on it too."

Auron shook his head and chuckled. "You two an' your damn lights."

"Hey, they're pretty." Alyss said with a grin.

They sat outside Junior's club for thirty minutes before Shyla rounded the corner of a building and came up to them. "Hey guys. Hi Auron." She greeted and went to hug Auron.

"Hey yourself," Auron replied and hugged her tightly, "You look great."

"Thank you." She said with a smile and they separated. She wore a pair of light-blue jeans, a pair of simple sandals, and a white shirt this time along with her necklace and her hair in ponytails again.

"It's good to be able to hang out again." She said to them all and she and Auron sat down.

Jace brought out _Ebon_ and showed it to Shyla. "This is my pistol, the one that you wanted to see before. I wanted to have the lines on it to be like my brother's old revolver he made a long time ago." He said and chambered a round, making the runes light up ice-blue.

"Oh wow, that's pretty." Shyla remarked.

Alyss grinned and reached behind her, then pulled _Atronach_ from its holster on her lower back. "This is his brother's revolver. Jace gave it to me to use if I needed it." She explained and cocked the hammer back, making the runes turn red.

"They're both really pretty. It's good that you trust her with it." Shyla said in regards to _Atronach_.

"It's something I'm never taking for granted if I can help it." Alyss smiled towards her.

Jace smiled and kissed her at the base of her Faunus ear. She purred and leaned into his shoulder, which made him smile more. The affection made Shyla blush a bit, but Auron pulled her close in a tight, one-armed hug. She smiled and leaned up against him as well.

After a few more moments of waiting, Vivi came around the buildings and walked faster toward them. She went straight for Raine and wrapped her in a light hug. "Remington told me that I can have a break for a bit along with the other Rangers here, considering what we've done." She said to her and kissed her forehead.

She smiled and hugged her back. "Couldn't ask for a better leader, huh?"

"I don't think we could."

Shyla glanced in confusion as she noticed Vivi's tail swaying behind her. "Umm… I hope you don't mind me asking, but how do you have cat ears and a tail?"

"This one is surprised you haven't noticed before, but it _was_ wrapped around my waist. I was born with a mutation. It's funny to watch people get confused." Vivi answered with a grin.

Jace shook his head and looked over to Shyla. "Don't worry. I was really confused when I first met her."

"So, should we head out now?" Alyss asked them all and received eager nods from the group.

Everyone stood up and Alyss led them down the streets toward their destination. She led them in confidence as she remembered every turn to take and every street to cross. Jace walked with her as his left hand was clasped firmly in Alyss' right. Behind them, they didn't know that Shyla was arguing with herself over if she should tell them about what she used to think. She sighed quietly but four sets of Faunus ears twitched a bit at the tone.

Alyss stopped and turned around to regard her. "Is something wrong?" She asked in worry.

Shyla stopped suddenly and almost tripped, but Auron caught her by the waist and held her up. "You alright?" He asked her as she regained balance.

"Umm… yeah, but not really if that makes any sense." She answered nervously.

"What's wrong?" Auron asked.

"It's just… There's something I think I should say but I'm scared to say it…"

Auron put his arm around her and rubbed her shoulder with his thumb. "You should maybe get it off your chest. It ain't gonna help to keep it in ya."

"It really won't," Jace agreed, "I've done it and it was hard."

She sighed. "I know… it's just that I don't know what you guys would think about me if I say it."

"Don't worry about that. We'll understand whatever it is that's bothering you." Vivi assured her.

She nodded slowly and took a deep breath. "I… Until a couple years ago… I used to be really afraid of Faunus." Shyla said finally and held her head down.

Auron squeezed her shoulder a bit. "Was there any reason for it?" He asked softly.

She glanced up to see Raine, Jace, Alyss, and Vivi looking at her intently, but not in any anger or resentment. Alyss nodded for her to continue and she looked down again. "It's just that as a kid, everything I saw on the news with the White Fang, seeing them turn from peaceful protestors to terrorists…" Her voice became almost a whisper as she tried to lower her gaze even further from theirs, "I was scared because if they turned like that… then other Faunus could. It scared me so much and I tried to avoid any Faunus I've seen. That's why you three are some of the only ones I've met… Really _the_ only ones."

"What happened to change that?" Jace asked her.

"Two years ago I was out with my best friend and there was this guy that wouldn't leave us alone no matter how much we told him. We tried to ignore him but he just kept following us until he got angry and yelled. We walked faster and faster and faster and he yelled again and… a-and he-" She stopped herself as she saw teardrops falling on the ground below her. She shook her head and shuddered under Auron's arm. He moved his arm from her and gave her some space.

"H-he s-shot at us… H-he shot her in the back and she fell down, I-I kneeled down over her and tried to protect her. He came up to us and said s-something about us getting what we deserve for ignoring him. T-then he just shut up…" She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them and looked up at the others. She couldn't tell what Raine, Jace, and Vivi were feeling, but she saw that Alyss had tears in her eyes.

"I looked up and saw a person standing in front of us, then I saw his claws extended all the way, then his wolf tail. I-I thought he would be worse than the person he knocked out… I looked back down out of fear and what he said just completely caught me off guard," She let out a sigh of annoyance as she thought back to how she was blinded by what she saw on the news.

"He said we needed to get her to a hospital. T-that just… shocked me so much that I couldn't say anything. After a few seconds I just nodded slowly and he picked her up, then we ran to the closest hospital. We didn't have time to wait on an ambulance… He made sure she was okay and then just left. I never saw him again but that was what changed my thoughts on Faunus. He saved our lives… and I never got to thank him."

Shyla looked down again in worry of how they might think of her now. There were several moments of silence until she felt a slim set of arms wrapped around her in a hug. "I'm so sorry to hear about that, Shyla." Alyss said softly in her ear.

"Why are you sorry?" Shyla asked weakly as she kept her arms to her sides, "I spent so long being afraid of Faunus because of what I saw on the news. It kept me from making any Faunus friends or even meeting any Faunus. If it wasn't for one person I'd-"

"It's okay," Alyss stopped her and stepped back, "You don't have to apologize for anything. It doesn't matter what you _thought_. It just matters what you _think_ ," She said and smiled at her, "Just look at the Flames of Hope. They saw that what they were doing was wrong and they're trying to make up for it. They _thought_ that violence would lead to peace for them. Now they _think_ that working together can do so much more. They realized what they thought was wrong. And you know that what you thought was wrong, right?"

Shyla nodded silently and Alyss hugged her again, much lighter this time. "That's what matters then. Don't beat yourself up over it. We still think of you the same way as before."

"It is how we feel too." Vivi stated softly.

Shyla calmed herself down and returned Alyss' hug. "Thank you for understanding." She said and they released each other.

"What are friends for?" Alyss said with a smile as Auron placed his arm around Shyla's shoulders again.

"They help you through a lot. I can say that much." Jace said and went to hold Alyss' hand.

"I'm glad I met you guys." Shyla said with a small smile and the group walked on to their destination.

* * *

After another thirty minutes of walking through the streets, they arrived at an entrance to the park. It was just as Alyss remembered it, if not a bit more overgrown. One tree grew from one side and went in an arc over the entrance, then went back into the ground on the other side. It had a single purple, apple-like fruit hanging from a stem in the middle. A _Banora White_ tree. Past it, the path was mostly darkened with shadows from the canopy of tree branches and leaves, with rays of sunshine filtering through periodically. Birds could be heard chirping around them and leaves rustled above them from squirrels and the like.

Alyss led them through a narrow path to the side of the main walkway and away from the sounds of the city being rebuilt. Before long, they came to a small pond with the canopy of leaves above it denser than the path with only a few rays of light penetrating it. Alyss took a deep breath and smiled as she looked around the area once more.

"It hasn't changed." She said as everyone looked around the area.

"Well, it's not as calming as back behind my house," Jace said and kissed Alyss on the side if the head, "But it's up there. It's really pretty here."

"'Least we don't have to walk through the cold to get here." Auron remarked.

The group of six went to sit down in different parts of the area. Auron and Shyla went to sit next to the water, leaning against a fallen tree as they talked quietly. Vivi and Raine found a tree with a large limb and climbed in it to sit, with Vivi's back against the tree and Raine's back against her chest. Jace and Alyss were at the base of another tree with Alyss laying the back of her head on his right thigh as he leaned his back against the tree. Jace looked over the book he brought with him and read the description on the back of it.

"What's your book about?" Alyss asked as she stared up to him.

"Well, I guess I can just read the back to you," He said with a smile and looked back to the book, "It's basically a medieval version of Remnant. It has Grimm and dust but no guns or anything like that. Just armor, swords, axes, stuff like that."

"So no Artillery Claymores then?" She asked and grinned toward him.

Jace laughed for a second and shook his head. "No. Nothing like that, sadly," He replied and looked at the description, "Alright. _'Three warriors, bound by their honor of the fallen, embark on a quest of great danger. Nero Battle-born of Vacuo, tasked by his father and accompanied by his brother Norec, venture across the kingdoms searching for the sacred warhammer of their ancestor. These two meet a warrior known as Jericho and his compainion, a female Faunus named Korin, in Vale, who are searching for Jericho's ancestor's warhammer as well. The groups join forces and make their way to Atlas and meet the last members of their fellowship, Alexander Barton, Kate Barton, and Jennifer Hawkins. Together, this group of eight scour the world to find the artifacts that were stolen from their tombs.'_ That's something, isn't it?" Jace finished and took a breath from reading the description to Alyss.

"It does sound pretty interesting." She replied.

"Well, for just one lien I figured I'd get it. I didn't think I'd be just now getting to read it."

"I hope you enjoy it." Alyss replied and closed her eyes for a bit.

"It'll be the first book I ever read if I do like it. Y'know, other than textbooks." He said with a grin. He opened the book up and started reading the prologue to it. It started out with multiple different perspectives. Nero and Norec's father called them both to the parlor of their manor and informed them of the theft, and gave them the task of hunting the thief down. It jumped to the perspective of Jericho, wielding a large battle axe, cleaving down undead draugr that have awoken and grown restless in his family's tomb, giving his family peace once more, and discovered the theft there. It skipped to a few days later where Jericho was speaking to his childhood friend Korin, a white-haired cat Faunus with feline ears, and she chose to join him on his quest. The last perspective was with Alexander, with him making a visit to his ancestor's tomb along with his sister, Kate, and his lover, Jennifer, only to find it being ransacked by bandits. After reading that, Jace grew very interested and found himself pulled into it as he went straight into the first chapter.

"Hey Jace?" Alyss spoke up and gained his attention.

"Yeah?"

"Can you pet my ears?" She asked and twitched her cat ears.

"Of course I can, kitten." He said and moved his left hand down to her ears.

"There's another reason that I like my ears being scritched that I never told you." Alyss said and leaned into the touch.

"What is it?" Jace asked softly.

"It's just that… whenever I was a kid and mom did it, it just made me know I was safe and nothing would happen," She answered and frowned a bit, "It always gave me some comfort when we dealt with _him_."

Jace smiled softly. "That's alright. You're safe and nothing's gonna happen like that again."

Alyss' smile returned and she purred deeply. "Yeah… especially with my little family."

"If it makes you feel better, I'll always be more than happy to do it. And you get to do it to me whenever you want too." Jace said and started digging his tips of his prosthetic fingers ever-so-softly behind her right ear.

"Honestly, I wouldn't mind if anyone just called me Aly."

"I've… kinda been avoiding that since you told us your mom always called you that," Jace said, "I didn't way you to feel sad."

"It's alright. Mom wouldn't want me to always be sad when she's mentioned or if something reminds me of her."

"Alright then. I'll call you Aly sometimes."

She continued to purr as Jace continued scritching. It made it harder for him to turn the pages of the book but he didn't mind. He found a balance with it by sliding his finger under the page and then flipping the book, letting the page fall on its own and setting the book back in his palm. He felt that he could relax like this all day if he wanted to. Just reading his book with Alyss laying with him as he played with her ears.

"I really can't thank Doctor Seabolte enough. Your ears are so _soft_." He said as he continued to listen to her purrs.

"Goes well with my tongue being a bit rougher, doesn't it?" She asked with a short giggle.

"I'm not answering that."

Auron and Shyla looked on with smiles at how peaceful the two looked. Auron had more of a smile because he knew what those two have been through and that they deserved the peace. "What did Jace go through anyway?" Shyla asked him after a moment, "To make him lose his arm?"

"You remember what I told you about what I went through?"

"Yeah. That's not something to ever forget."

"He's had it as bad, if not worse than me. All around the same time too."

"Oh Oum… Worse than you?"

"Yeah…" Auron sighed as he thought over everything Jace had told him, "Him an' his adopted brother was kidnapped an' used for experiments. They had dust an' Faunus DNA put in 'em. He ain't actually a Faunus… that DNA just changed 'im inside an' out. He just grew the ears back at my house when we was there."

"He wasn't born that way?" Shyla asked and Auron shook his head, "So… he used to be human?"

"Yeah. It still gets to 'im about how he got the ears, but he likes 'em. He made it a point to tell all our friends, but he don't like mentionin' it to new people."

"It's so… _weird_ …" Shyla sighed, "I understand why he wouldn't…"

"Yeah… They escaped an' after a couple months, they got caught. The guy that had 'em took brought their dad out an' had 'im killed right in front of 'em. They fought until their auras were gone an' his brother was killed. Then someone came up behind 'im an' cut his arm off. Jace came all the way here just to see about what was in a journal." Auron took a deep breath and sighed again from all he had to say.

Shyla was shocked at all of it. She leaned her head against Auron's shoulder and looked toward the water sadly. "Oum… How does he keep going?"

"You seen how his eyes are sky-blue 'an a darker sapphire?" She nodded against his shoulder and he started to rub hers, "The sky-blue's from his dad. Some of his aura went to Jace since he held 'im when he died. Back when Beacon fell, he fell from the top of the tower 'an his sword stabbed into his side."

"What?" She asked in disbelief, "How did he survive?"

"His brother's aura. He put it into his sword when he made it an' when it went into Jace, that aura went into 'im an' kept 'im alive. That's what gives him the sapphire. That one changes to emerald too, like his brother's did from what Jace said," Auron glanced back over to Jace and Alyss and smiled, "Jace is their livin' legacy. He named his new sword after that fact. But what I think mainly keeps 'im goin' now is Alyss."

"They _do_ look so happy together." Shyla said and wrapped her arms around him, pulling herself a bit closer.

"There's a lot to it too," Auron replied and let his head lean against hers, "When they first met, same day I met Jace too, Alyss healed a bad burn on his arm. He was thankful for it so he invited her to Atlas with 'im when he got his prosthetic. Apparently they had a talk an' they worked through the memories of what they went through. Alyss keeps his mind in check when he starts panickin' or worryin' or when he gets anxious. They got a hell of a bond."

"It sounds like it," Shyla said and glanced over to the two, "All of you are too nice to have had that stuff happen to you."

Auron smiled and kissed her on the side of her head. "Eh, it is what it is I guess. Another thing that helps 'im is what his dad said to 'im before."

"What's that?"

"' _Don't stare too long into the sun that you forget the rest of the sky_.' Can't dwell on the past, you just gotta move forward. But… you gotta remember it."

Raine and Vivi watched the interactions Jace and Alyss had with each other, as well as Auron and Shyla. Raine smiled at seeing her teammates' happiness and held Vivi's hands tighter as hers were crossed over her stomach with Vivi holding them from her sides.

"Things are calming down aren't they?" She asked quietly.

"Yes, they are. This one is glad to be able to spend so much time with you, my little fox." Vivi said and kissed the back of her head.

"I'm glad I get to spend time with you too, my big kitty," Raine giggled a bit before she frowned, "I don't want it to end."

"Neither do I. It'll be a shame when I have to return to my duties." Vivi sighed a bit and leaned her head against the tree.

"It's gonna be hard to find time to see each other." Raine said sadly.

"Hmm, not necessarily."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, this one is tasked with watching over the council as well as Ozpin's office and Beacon. Maybe when I'm there I can stop by and see you at your dorm."

"Not that I'm objecting, that sounds _really_ awesome, but wouldn't that take time away from watching over Beacon when you're there?" Raine moved out of her arms and twisted around to face her.

"I would still _technically_ be watching over the school," Vivi grinned and leaned forward a bit, "I would still be doing my job. I would get to spend time with you too."

"What about if you get assigned to another kingdom?" Raine asked sadly, hating the thought of being separated so far from her.

"Don't worry. I've noticed that Remington won't separate two people if they're a couple. I asked him and he said he doesn't like that fact that two lovers would be separated by kingdoms. It doesn't matter if it's two Rangers, a Ranger and civilian, or a Ranger and a regular Hunter. He didn't separate Jax and his mate, and he won't separate us."

Raine smiled widely as she gave a short chuckle. "Do you have this figured out or something?"

"I think I do, yes," She smiled back at her, "What do you think?"

Raine leaned forward and pressed her lips to Vivi's. She pressed back and pulled her closer. After a few moments, they broke apart and Raine smiled happily. "Does that count as an answer?"

Vivi grinned and kissed her again for a few moments. "Does that?"

"Yes. Yes it does." Raine said and turned back around to lean against her chest.

* * *

Jace fluttered his eyes open as Auron nudged his shoulder. He stared around and saw it had gotten considerably darker around the area. "I guess I fell asleep didn't I?"

"We both did." Alyss said next to him and yawned. She was on her side and curled up almost in a ball as she stared up at Jace.

"Relaxin' here, ain't it?" Auron said with a grin.

"I guess we should head back shouldn't we?" Jace asked the group.

"I think we should get something to eat first." Raine suggested and held her growling stomach.

"I can't believe we forgot to eat breakfast." Jace said and chuckled as he stood with Alyss. He grabbed his book and noticed he had gotten six chapters into it. He marked the page by folding the corner and grabbed _Standoff_ from where it leaned against the tree.

"I know a small restaurant nearby that we could stop by to see if they're open." Shyla suggested.

"That sounds really good," Vivi said as she felt her own stomach growl, "Maybe we should."

"I think everyone can agree, can't we?" Jace said and everyone nodded back.

They walked down the darkened path and came into the main walkway, now lightened up by lampposts. Alyss led them out of the park and then Shyla took the lead to the restaurant with Auron by her side. The sun was on the verge of dipping over the horizon, leaving them walking in the orange glow of the sunset behind them.

After walking for two blocks, they finally arrived at the restaurant and were glad to see it was open. Auron and Shyla entered first and the rest filed in after them. They saw it was nearly deserted as there were still a great amount of Valesian refugees that had yet to return, as well as the people that were already there that were still hesitant to walk the streets or go anywhere.

They found a booth near the back of the room and sat in it, then waited for their service. It didn't take long before a black-haired and orange-eyed woman stopped by their table with six menus. She smiled at Shyla and looked around at the others. "I see that you have some friends with you this time, Shyla." She remarked and brought a smile from her.

"Hey Amy. It's good to see you're back to work already." Shyla replied to her.

"A girl's gotta eat, right?" Amy said with a chuckle and drew smiles from the other women, " _Soooo_ , is this the person you told me about?" She asked and nodded toward Auron.

"Yeah, this is Auron." Shyla answered the question with a slight blush.

"Nice to meetcha." Auron said to her.

"You too," Amy said and turned to the others, "I'd get all of your names too, but I gotta work. See ya later, Shy." She turned and walked to the back of the restaurant while the group looked over the menus.

"This was a good day. I think we all needed the relaxation." Vivi said and set her menu in the middle of the table.

"You all deserve it for what you did," Shyla said, then looked to Jace, "And for what you went through."

"I guess you told her?" Jace asked Auron.

"Yeah. You said you was tired of sayin' it, so I figured I would," Auron set his menu with the other and shrugged his shoulders a bit, then put his a arm around Shyla's shoulders, "Plus she asked, so yeah."

Jace nodded in gratitude. "Thanks, then," He looked to Shyla and nodded to her as well, "And thanks for understanding."

She nodded back as everyone else decided on what to order. All the menus were piled in the middle of the table and a waiter came by and took their orders. He wrote everything down and looked around at everyone there. "I'm going to take a guess and say you all helped take back Vale, right?" He asked as he glanced between all the weapons.

"All except for one, but she led us here." Auron replied.

The waiter bowed his head toward them. "Thank you for giving us our home back. Food's on the house tonight." He said and took their orders to the cooks.

"That's nice of them." Alyss said with a smile.

"All of you really deserve it," Shyla responded and reached to hold Auron's hand, "You guys and the others that fought."

"You don't have to thank us," Vivi said to her with a smile, "It's what we do and are trained to do."

"I know. I just can't thank you guys enough."

After fifteen minutes of waiting and chatting, their food was brought to them by a few servers, including Amy. They set the plates and drinks down for everyone and left, with Amy staying behind. "And with that, my shift's over," She said and sat next to Shyla.

"So, now I'd like to know who my friend's new friends are."

"I'm Jace Reznor. This is Alyss Wystar." Jace greeted for him and Alyss.

"I'm Raine Daturas." Raine greeted.

"Vivian Strife. Ranger of Vale, you can call me Vivi. Raine is an apprentice Ranger." Vivi said and bowed her head to her.

"It's good to meet you guys. I'm Amethyst Dryden, but I just go by Amy. What brings you guys here this late?" Amy asked the group.

"We kinda forgot to eat breakfast," Raine answered after swallowing a mouthful of chicken, "And we spent the whole day at the park and didn't eat."

"Oh, the park? It got cleaned up?"

"Yeah, it was really nice and relaxing." Alyss replied.

"I'd say it was," Amy looked toward Jace and noticed his right eye's color, "Is your eye two different colors? It's like, swirling green and blue."

"I guess it's changing," Jace replied and saw her confused stare, "It changes from blue to green."

She nodded as she understood. "That's cool. I'm sure it gives Alyss something pretty to stare at." She smiled as she remarked at their clasped hands on the table.

"You're not wrong." Alyss agreed and took a bite of her salad.

Amy checked the time on her watch and frowned. "I'm gonna go ahead and get outta here. It was good to see you Shy, and it was nice to meet you guys." She said and left the restaurant.

After a few minutes, the group finished their meals and sipped around on their drinks. "Was that your friend that was… shot?" Alyss asked Shyla after a few moments.

She sighed and nodded. "Yeah. As soon as she got better, she got a job here to help pay the hospital bill."

"It's good that she's alright." Jace said.

"It really is and I'm glad," Shyla sighed again and looked down, "All of the physical therapy she had to do was hard on her since the shot hit her spine, then the tragedy happened and I was panicking for her."

"How did the therapy continue?" Raine asked her.

"When we were at the docks, Professor Peach, I think that was her name, was there helping with the clinic. When more doctors showed up, she started giving Amy the therapy herself," Shyla smiled and brought her gaze back up, "I'm really glad everything's getting back to normal."

"Yeah, we can all agree with that." Alyss said.

"After everything, I just can't wait to finally go to class." Jace chuckled and took a long drink from his water.

Shyla laughed and shook her head. "I've never met anyone that was excited to go to class."

"He's been sayin' that for awhile," Auron remarked as he threw his arm over Shyla's shoulders once more, "I gotta agree though. I'm itchin' to actually be a part of the classes with the others."

"Same here." Both Raine and Alyss said together.

The group finished their drinks and, due to their meals being free for the night, left the restaurant after they each gave a tip of twenty lien for the friendly service. The air grew considerably colder as the moon rose. It left everyone but Jace shivering a bit and he noticed it. He took a breath and focused on the burn dust with his aura and radiated it outward toward everyone. Alyss was the first to notice as she held her arm around his waist and pulled herself closer to him. Soon enough, everyone noticed the air grow warmer around them and Shyla looked around in confusion.

"Did it get warmer?"

"That'd be Jace," Auron answered her and rubbed her shoulder, "That dust in 'im lets him send it out like a heater."

"Y'know," Jace started from beside the two, "That's the first time someone's compared me to a heater."

"He's not wrong though." Alyss remarked.

"So you can make it warmer or colder when you want?" Shyla asked Jace.

"Yeah, it's something I learned to do to make Alyss comfortable back in Mistral. I think it worked."

"It really did and it still does." Alyss said with a smile.

"That's really cool," Shyla said and pulled herself closer to Auron, "If you don't mind me asking, what all can you do with the dust?"

"I don't mind at all," Jace assured her and held his right hand outward, then created a small fireball and floated it around his hand, "I can do a good amount. I can send fireballs, lightning bolts, ice shards, rocks, and I can push stuff away with air," He looked down to Alyss and grinned, "Would you care to let go for a second so I can show her the last thing?" He asked her and she reluctantly stepped back.

He held his hands in front of him and placed his right fist into his left palm, then started making a dust blade, seeing Shyla's eyes go wide. "And dustblades. That one took some practice." He said and let the blade disintegrate.

"That really _is_ cool." Shyla remarked in wonder.

Alyss wrapped her arms around Jace again and smiled. "I was there when he first tried it. It was amazing. Now we're just used to it."

"That's true." Raine agreed.

"And now I can send dust along the blades of my swords. It's a lot of stuff that I can do but it makes me tired the more I do it." Jace said and they arrived at the airdocks ten minutes later.

"I uh, I'd like to stay with you tonight," Auron said to Shyla nervously as they waited for the airbus to descend, "If you don't care."

Shyla smiled and nodded quickly. "Yeah! You can stay with me tonight. It'll be nice."

Auron hugged her and kissed her on the crown of her head. "Thanks."

"What about you Raine?" Jace turned to his partner, "What are you gonna do?"

"Well," She started and looked up to Vivi, who was smiling, "I might just stay with Vivi tonight too."

"That would be nice." Vivi said with a smile.

"An' that leaves the room to you two." Auron said to Jace and Alyss.

"We realize that." Alyss responded and blushed a bit.

They looked up and saw the airbus close to landing now. Jace and Alyss took a step towards it and looked back to the others. "Goodnight guys." Jace said and waved to them.

They each responded the same and left as Jace and Alyss walked closer to the ship. "Today was a really good day. I think that with the others coming back and how the day went, maybe tonight would be a good time to move the mark up a stage," Alyss said and smiled shyly to Jace, "If you still want to."

Jace smiled and pulled her close for a deep kiss. She smiled under it and wrapped her arms around him, pulling herself closer and opening her mouth to accept more of the kiss. Jace responded in kind and they kept it going for more than a few moments. They broke it off mostly for air and Jace looked into her eyes. "Is that a good answer?" He asked her with a smirk.

She nodded and licked her lips. "That's _more_ than a good answer." She almost purred.

They both felt their scrolls buzz and they looked to each other in confusion. They pulled their scrolls out to check the message.

 _'Nice show. Now get on the damn ship.'_

They both blushed and looked around, eventually seeing Auron and Shyla standing a distance away. Auron made a small _shooing_ motion with his hands and the two quickly walked aboard the airbus.

* * *

Jace woke up the next morning and felt… amazing, so to speak. He sat up in the bed and looked down to Alyss, who was still sleeping peacefully under the covers. He checked the time on his scroll and saw that it was eleven in the morning, then went to wake her up. He nudged her shoulder and she started to stir.

"Alyss, time to get up." He said and she opened her eyes.

Her eyes went from half-open from grogginess to wide and excited at what she saw. "Oh my Oum, Jace! It worked!" She said and sat up straight.

"It did? This is the stage it takes the form of something, right?" Jace asked and she nodded excitedly, "What's it look like?"

"It's… it's my emblem… It's in the middle of yours," She said and looked at the leaf that was displayed in the forehead of Jace's emblem on his shoulder, "M-my mom's emblem."

"The leaf was your mom's?" Jace asked and she nodded with tears in her eyes. His eyes drifted downward and he caught sight of the mark on her shoulder and his voice caught in his throat.

"T-that's… Gen's emblem! With dad's in the middle of its forehead!" He said finally while barely containing his emotions. Then, he noticed the outline, "Oh Oum… your leaf is around it… like an outline!"

"I can't believe we're mates!" Alyss said excitedly and hugged Jace tightly. She cried tears of joy into his shoulder as he felt tears run down his cheeks as well. "There's that one last stage… but we don't have to worry about that right now. We're linked by our souls…l

"He promised me I'd never be alone… he kept that promise," Jace murmured and hugged Alyss more tightly, "I love you, Alyss."

"I love you too. I can't believe I found someone like you." She said and buried her face deeper into his shoulder.

* * *

"Preparations will be completed in two months time," Ozpin told the students in the auditorium, "Until then, please remain patient and call your friends and loved ones, let them know you are safe. If you choose to, please invite them to the ceremony. Perhaps a month later when it is all finished classes may start, but I am uncertain for the moment. Please, go and continue to relax in this time. That is all."

All the students filed from the auditorium and teams JKDW, RWBY, and JNR met up outside. "Did you guys like the gift I gave ya?" Auron asked the two teams with a grin.

"The whetstones? Yes, they are a thoughtful and useful gift." Weiss replied.

"I mean, for someone like me and Nora," Yang started and placed her hand on the hammer-wielder's shoulder, "It won't help us. But it's still pretty cool that you can do that."

"The rest of us can make good use of them. Right Blakey?" Ruby asked her girlfriend.

"Definitely." Blake answered with a smile as Ruby squeezed her hand.

"Good. It took me a bit to make 'em," Auron grinned toward them, then turned to Jaune with a more somber expression. "What'd you name your sword, anyway?"

Jaune smiled a bit and brought it out from its sheath. "I named it _Crocea Miló_. I didn't really have to think on it."

"That's a good one. She'd be honored for it." Auron said with a returning grin.

"Thanks, Auron."

Blake looked over Jace and Alyss and noticed something under Alyss' shirt, showing just past the low neck of it. She thought on it for a moment before she realized what it was. "You two moved up a stage?" She asked them with a grin.

Alyss smiled and pulled her shirt out of the way for Blake to see the mark fully. "Yeah, we did."

Jace pulled his shirt out of the way as well and revealed the mark on his shoulder. "It makes me feel really good, to be honest."

Blake nodded and smiled to them as Ruby leaned up to whisper something in her ear. Blake blushed at her question and she nodded, then mouthed the word "sometime" to her.

"Did Qrow tell you about _Bumblebee_?" Jace asked Yang.

Her face immediately fell and she sighed. "No. But I can already guess that it's gone."

Jace smiled and chuckled a bit, causing her to look at him in confusion. "We went and found it," Jace said and her face lightened considerably, "It's worse for wear. There were scratches and dents and a lot of stuff but there wasn't any damage to the engine that I could tell."

"You really went and found it?" Yang asked him with hope in her eyes.

"We did," Auron answered with a smile, "Loaded it up in my truck an' got your tools too. You'll have to ask Qrow where it is though."

Yang jumped forward and hugged each member of team JKDW. "Holy crap you guys are awesome!"

"Jace just wanted to do something to keep him from worrying about you guys." Raine said.

Jace shrugged. "It gave us something to do for a bit too. Other than dealing with cultists." He replied.

"I really appreciate it. Thanks guys." Yang said and grabbed Weiss' hand when she stood next to her again.

"You'll have to take me for a ride on it when you get it repaired." Weiss said with a small smile.

"Oh, I'll take you for all kinds of rides, snow angel."

Weiss blushed brightly and looked down from them. "Yang, you always know how to make me flustered." She said, then she realized what Yang could say to that and blushed harder.

"S-so what did you mean by you had to deal with cultists?" Weiss asked JKDW.

"It was a couple months after you guys left and things started to settle down," Jace started, "We went to talk with Glynda to see if there was anything for us to do, then Ironwood told us about a group of cultists trying to turn the Faunus against the humans."

"Of course no one can let our races be at peace." Blake said in annoyance.

"Yeah, it sucks. Anyway, then us and APCT went to one of their small rallies in a warehouse and dealt with them."

"The thing is, they wasn't human to begin with," Auron took the reigns, "They turned out to be some kind o' Ghouls. The leader shot balls of ooze out an' brought up more Ghouls to fight, then things started goin' slow. Me, Jace, Tyr, an' Paige fought the four of 'em an' the others took the humanoids out."

"After I knocked their leader outside, he just stopped. He said something about his goddess dying and something about his soul being free. Like Cinder," Jace came back in to tell the end, "I killed him and his body evaporated like a Grimm's. Then we had to spend a while talking with the people that were at that rally. But, we completed our first real mission."

"Wow, that's something." Yang remarked.

"And everything calmed down completely too. There was nothing left for us to help with." Alyss said.

Jace remembered something and grinned. "Hey Yang, Junior said your next night there is on the house. For us taking back Vale."

Yang grinned. "Sweet! Me and Weiss are gonna have to head there soon."

"That sounds nice." Weiss said from her side.

"Okay, sooo… what happened on that island anyway?" Alyss asked the two teams.

Ruby took a breath and started the description. "Well, when we got to her lair, we had to fight a Tyrant. Those things are ridiculously strong and really tough to scratch.

"Oh trust me, I know how strong the damn things are." Auron remarked and shook his head.

"And I know how tough." Jace said as well.

Yang nodded and grinned. "We had it handled though. Weiss got her knight to distract it and I just punched and punched and punched at it. Then Nora went straight for it's knees and she ended up kinda-crippling it-"

"Oh man that was so cool to be able to do that!" Nora exclaimed excitedly.

"Yeah we know. You kept saying it the whole way back," Yang replied to her and turned back to the others, "Then Jaune went for it's joints and Blake and her clones went literally _everywhere_ on it. The thing is, it still wouldn't do much. Then, I remembered what happened when Raine shot that arrow into that one's chest and it caught on fire, and that's when it hit me. I pointed it out to Weiss and she brought up a burn-glyph under it and set it on fire. The fire got inside of all the cuts we made in its fur and that's what did it. It screamed and roared and ran into walls when it tried to put itself out. I'm still surprised it got up on its legs. And then it died." She finished the description and grinned at the memory of the fight.

"I never wanna see one o' them again." Auron remarked and shook his head.

"Alright, you know we have to ask," Jace started and looked through the two teams, "What happened with whoever Cinder worked for?"

Ruby sighed and looked to him. "That's a lot of confusing stuff…"

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: More peace is had. This time at the park. Shyla opened up to them all about what she used to be like, and now she's more comfortable around them all. She just needed to open up.**

 **Now we have the setup for a couple chapters down the line. The ceremony, and then the last chapter before the epilogue. It's been a hell of a ride for me. I still can't believe I worked with this for months in the notes on my iPod. Thank you to everyone that's stuck by and kept on reading, you're pretty awesome.**

 **We got a few more to go still and a hell of a short, final arc.**

 **See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	70. Chapter 69: Such A Lonely Day…

**Such A Lonely Day… And It's Mine**

"You should be back around five, right?" Jace asked his mate as she got ready to go meet with Caitlyn. He was sitting at the table reading his book as Alyss stood in front of the bathroom mirror, door open so the two could talk. It was a week after their time at the park and the night the two moved their mark up a stage and Caitlyn had invited Alyss to join her in a bit of shopping.

"Yeah, don't worry. If something happens, you'll know." She smiled and sent her feeling of love through their mark to him. She had decided to leave her hair down for the day, leaving the worn-purple bow on her nightstand.

Jace felt the love radiate through his mark and smiled. He knew he looked like an idiot, too. "I love you too. You sure I can't come with you?"

"No, you can't. You know Auron's birthday is coming up and Caitlyn said that Mabari's is in the same month."

Jace rolled his eyes, although Alyss couldn't see it. "I know _that_ , but why can't I come?"

"Because the promise of the room to ourselves is gonna get you to talk and I'm not taking the chance for the surprise to be spoiled."

"Point taken," Jace laughed and set his book down, "What's Caitlyn getting Mabari?"

"I think she wants to get matching necklaces of his emblem. You know, the howling dog."

"Sounds nice."

Alyss finished with her hair and straightened out her shirt as she stepped out of the bathroom. "So, how do I look?" She asked and turned all the way around for Jace to see everything. She had on a pair of white, skin-tight jeans and the sandals she wore to Junior's club the month prior. Her shirt was one Jace had bought her recently, it was black mostly with two light-purple designs of cats sitting back to back with their tails making a heart. She had light eye shadow on that made her already beautiful eyes stand out a bit more and she had painted her nails with purple nail polish.

Jace smiled widely. "Your butt looks amazing."

"Really? You're more focused on my butt?" She said with a raised eyebrow as she strapped her belt around her waist for _Atronach_. She clipped a small harness to the belt and slipped it over her shoulder for _Soul Leaf_.

Jace shrugged. "Umm… That's one of my focuses."

Alyss giggled and turned around in a circle again, showing off her curves as she wiggled and swayed her hips for him.

"You uh… You trying to make my nose bleed?"

"Maybe." She answered as she stopped her movements with her back to him.

Jace smiled again as he gazed at her. "You _do_ look stunning as always, kitten."

"Is that for my ass or me in general?" She asked and turned around to face him.

"Everything."

Alyss giggled again. "Flatterer."

"Seductress."

She laughed at that. "Oh I promise I'll show you ' _seductress_ ' when I get back."

"That sounds great," Jace grinned and stood up to kiss her before she left, "Gotta have a scritching session too."

"Definitely," Alyss smiled, "I guess I'll get going. I'll tell them you said hi."

"Okay. Have fun, Aly. And watch out for rain. I think Auron said they're giving storms today."

They kissed one more time and Jace lightly slapped her backside. She pulled back and winked at him before she left the room. Jace grinned widely as he looked forward to when she returned.

* * *

"So, what do you plan to get Auron?" Caitlyn asked Alyss as the group of three walked toward the jewelry store.

"I thought about getting him a couple more speed-loaders made for his revolvers. He only has two for each of them," Alyss answered. She walked with bit of a bounce in her step as she had her hands clasped behind her, "That's really all I can think of."

"I'm sure he'll appreciate it."

"I just wish I could think of something more meaningful…" Alyss said with a sigh, then she had it, "Oh! I know!" She said and fished out her scroll.

"What did you come up with?"

Alyss searched the CCT and found a picture of Pyrrha. Specifically her emblem. She showed it to Caitlyn. _"Thank you for working, internet…"_ Alyss thought to herself.

"That's Pyrrha Nikos' emblem. She was his best friend when they went to Sanctum… But she died during the invasion," She said and saved the picture to her scroll, "I'm gonna have a necklace made of it."

"That _would_ be very thoughtful."

"Why didn't Jace come with you?" Jack asked Alyss.

"Because he wouldn't be able to keep a secret." She answered with a grin.

"Why not?"

"Because… umm…" Alyss hesitated and a blush crept to her cheeks, "He likes the promise of being alone with me."

"What does that mean?" Jack asked as the group entered the jewelry store.

"That, my dear pup," Caitlyn said and rubbed the top of his head, "Is something to find out when you're older."

* * *

"You guys are taking care of those plants, right?" Coco asked Jace in the cafeteria, "Because we went through an annoying amount of trouble getting the hooks in the ceiling."

"And cursing," Fox said, "A whole lot of that."

"Yeah, we're taking care of them," Jace answered, "I'm glad you guys did that for me."

"You still owe us, too." Auron said from his side.

"I know. You and Raine I have a plan for," Jace replied, then he turned to the others, "I just don't know about you two."

"Well, a new scarf would be nice." Coco said.

"Maybe both of you stop acting so sappy all the time." Fox suggested with another grin.

"I can't promise anything with that," Jace answered Fox, then he turned back to Coco, "What kind of scarf?"

"One that matches my outfit perfectly. Plus something that'll actually keep my neck warm during winter." Coco answered and pulled at her slightly-fraying scarf.

"Okay, I'll keep my eye out next time I'm in the city. Where are Yatsu and Velvet at, anyway?" Jace asked.

"They went to relax at a park before the rain hits. What about Raine and Alyss?"

"Alyss is with our friend going birthday shopping and Raine is having some alone time in our room with Vivi."

Fox cocked an eyebrow. "By alone time, you mean…?"

"Probably." Auron answered, not even needing to hear the full question.

"Figures. Me and Alyss are getting it later." Jace said with a grin.

"Okay, so, answer me this," Coco said and leaned forward a bit over the table, "I've heard that Faunus sex gets _real_ intense. What all is involved? I wanna know details."

"Why do you wanna know?" Jace asked her.

"Curiosity." Coco answered and everyone heard Fox groan.

"You mean you ain't seen 'em both a day after they do it?" Auron asked with a grin and she shook her head, "Oh Oum, it's quite the sight."

Jace rolled his eyes. "Come on, it's only a few scratches."

"Your whole arm gets covered in 'em. So does Alyss'," Auron retorted and gave a laugh, "Same with your chest an' back. Then there's the bite marks on your necks."

"Oh whatever."

"Scratches?" Coco asked.

"There's biting, scratching, more scratching, more biting, even _more_ biting, and a little domination, nothing too bad on that part. It's rough, but Oum it's awesome."

"Wow, maybe I need to find me a Faunus." Coco said and sat back in her seat.

"I never took you for the type to like that sorta thing. Same with Alyss." Auron said to Jace.

"It's Faunus instinct that kicks in. Since I have that Faunus DNA in me, I get those instincts too and the umm… the domination part comes from that," Jace chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck, "Plus, I found out that I really like the scratching and biting."

"And now you go from sappy to just plain lewd. Good Oum." Fox remarked.

"Oh shut up." Both Jace and Coco said to him.

"If you want more details, I'm sure you can ask Raine later." Auron told her.

"Ask me what?" Raine said from behind them and sat down at the table.

"What Faunus sex is like." Jace said with a grin.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Raine said evenly as she crossed her arms.

"I can smell Vivi on you. Pretty heavily, too," Jace told her, "Plus you know certain scents come from the hormones. Faunus senses, remember?"

"I'm not confirming anything."

"Gods, you're stubborn," Jace said with a grin, then he went to stand, "Welp, I'm gonna go talk to Oobleck. Maybe get ahead on paperwork before school starts back up." He waved at the small group and then he departed.

He stepped outside and took a deep breath through his nose and frowned. "Yep, here comes the rain." He said to himself and heard a distant crash of thunder.

* * *

"Alright, that'll be fifty lien for each order." The clerk said and both ladies brought the lien out of their wallets.

They paid the lien and Alyss smiled. "Have a nice day." She said to the woman and they left.

"That was _soooo_ boring!" Jack whined as they stepped outside.

"Aw, I'm sorry you were bored, pup," Caitlyn said and kneeled down to his level, "How about we go get some ice cream to make it up to you?"

"Really?"

" _Buuut_ …" Caitlyn said and saw a small look of disappointment on his face, "You have to promise not to tell your father what his gift is, okay?"

Jack's face immediately brightened up again. "Okay. I promise."

"Good. Now let's get going before rain falls on us."

"I think I'll join you both. It's been awhile since I've had cherry ice cream," Alyss said with a smile, then she looked up to the darkening clouds, "I'm also not a big fan of the rain."

"And you're welcome to join us. It's nice to be able to relax."

"Especially before school starts back up. Jace really can't wait for that." Alyss remarked and sent a text to her mate, saying what she was doing.

"What's Jace doing, anyway?" Jack asked.

Alyss thought on it as she glanced up towards Beacon. "Most likely sitting in our room reading his book."

"What kind of book?"

"Oh, it's just one with swords and Grimm and warhammers. I can't remember a whole lot, but he enjoys it."

"How does he get the time?" Caitlyn asked, flashing a knowing grin.

Alyss smiled. "When we sit on our bed and I'm leaning back against his chest, he has his one arm around my stomach and he holds the book in his other hand. He either nuzzles his mouth between my ears or rests his chin on my shoulder… It's so relaxing."

"That sounds nice. How have you-" Caitlyn started to ask but was silenced as a strike landed on the back of her head.

"Caitlyn, what's wrong?" Alyss asked and turned around. She saw Caitlyn and Jack laying on the ground and a woman standing above them with a small club in her hand. Alyss heard a constant rattling noise from the woman as she stood ready to jump at her. Under the hood of her jacket, she saw a mask. A White Fang mask.

"What do you think you're doing!?" Alyss asked in anger and grabbed _Soul Leaf_ from her back. She stepped forward but something was slapped on her neck from behind. She felt it tighten a bit and started feeling weak as her aura was slowly drained from her. A sharp pain in her arm caused her to gasp and she felt something being injected in her veins. She fell to her knees and dropped her glaive as she brought her hands up to her neck to try and claw the device off. She inadvertantly grabbed her necklace and ripped it off, the pendant clattering to the ground.

She gave up and put her hands on the ground as her breaths came raggedly. She extended her claws out of anger and clenched at the ground hard. With three of her claws on her right hand, she dug a bit deeper and used what little aura remained to keep her claws from breaking as she scratched out a design.

"Three new recruits. Good. My dear, please give them the tranquilizer so they don't wake up. Our numbers are slowly rising back…" That was all Alyss could hear as her aura broke and she was knocked out by a blow to her head.

* * *

"So, you have discovered that you have both of their aura inside yourself?" Oobleck asked as he and Jace sat in his office next to the history classroom.

"Yeah, I do. It makes me fight just a bit harder to keep that alive." Jace answered.

"I'm sure that looking at yourself in the mirror gives you a bit more of a reminder as well." Oobleck remarked about Jace's eyes.

"That's true too. Same with having _Standoff_ with me." Jace said as he felt his scroll buzz in his pocket.

He brought it out and checked the message he received. _'Hey sweetie. We're gonna go get some ice cream to make up for boring Jack. I'll be back a bit later.'_

Jace smiled and typed out a reply. _'Oh you'd better be giving me something sweet for leaving me behind, kitty cat.'_

He waited for a few moments for a reply. What he got wasn't in the form of a text, but rather feelings.

 _Confusion. Anger. Fear._

Then nothing.

"Jace, what's wrong?" Oobleck asked, noticing Jace's expression go fearful and his ears flatten against his skull.

"O-oh, umm… I-I'm sure it's nothing," Jace said and brought his hand up to his shoulder, "I'm gonna go back to our room and wait for Alyss to get back. See you later, doctor."

"Alright then. Have a good day." Oobleck said as Jace walked out the door, wondering what had gotten into the teen.

Jace walked from the building and took a shaky breath as he grew extremely confused. "What were those feelings for, Alyss?" He asked himself with a sigh. Rain started lightly drizzling now and he hurried back to the dorm with worry plaguing his mind. He knew she could handle herself if something happened but she was with both Caitlyn and Jack, both of whom had no fighting skill whatsoever. The absence of a reply to his message only grew to worry him further.

He arrived at his team's room and unlocked the door, then he stepped in and saw Auron and Shyla relaxing on Auron's bed.

"Get ahead in school work?" Auron asked with a grin. The expression fell as he saw Jace's ears.

"Have you guys heard from Alyss at all?" Jace asked.

"No, I haven't," Shyla said and straightened up a bit in Auron's arms, "Is something wrong?"

"I don't know… She sent me a text earlier that she'd be back a little later when I was talking to Oobleck. I sent her a message and waited for a reply, but then I just felt her feelings. She felt angry and scared and confused…"

"I ain't heard anything either," Auron said with a frown, "Was there anything else you felt with your mark?"

Jace shook his head. "No, it faded out and I didn't feel it anymore."

"Can't you like, find her aura with yours? Isn't that what you guys said you could do?" Shyla asked. Alyss and Jace made no problems of telling everyone of their relationship when they were asked and they told of how it affected their lives. They even let Ozpin know.

Jace nodded and closed his eyes. "Y-yeah, I'll try that. Just… stay quiet for a minute so I can concentrate." The two wordlessly nodded and sat on the edge of the bed and waited patiently.

Jace took a deep breath and focused, searching all around Beacon and the city. The bond of a second stage mark like theirs should let him see where Alyss was within the entire city. He searched the commercial district first since that's where the three were supposed to be. He checked around everywhere but didn't see her aura. He moved his focus to the docks. Maybe she had visited Connor and Alex on the ship? He checked everywhere but still, he couldn't find that little light of aura.

His breath grew shaky as he scanned over Beacon, hoping to the Gods that she was walking up the stairs to the dorm right now, but he still did not see the light of aura that was the dearest thing to him.

"I-I-I-I can't find her…" He choked out and searched even more frantically, "Nononono I can't see her aura anywhere! I-I can't find her! S-she can't be-"

"Jace! Calm down!" Auron stood and went to place his hands on the fearful teen's shoulders. Jace snapped his eyes open as tears fell from them, "Stay calm, now. You know there ain't no way somethin' like that can happen to her."

"Wh-where was she supposed to be?" Shyla asked in worry.

"S-she went with our friend to go see if she can find something for Auron's birthday next month… then they were gonna go to an ice cream shop…"

"Shyla, call Raine. Tell her to ask her sister an' dad. I'll call RWBY an' JNR. Jace, call Alex, APCT, an' Mabari. We're gonna find her," Auron ordered and they both nodded, "I can already tell the rain'll come down hard in the next couple hours an' I've been hearin' thunder." He said and pulled his scroll out. He found Blake in the contacts first and stepped outside.

Shyla stepped forward and hugged Jace tightly. "Just try to keep calm, Jace. Auron's right… we'll find her." She said and followed her boyfriend out the door with her scroll in her hands.

Jace sat on his bed and gulped hard as he brought his own scroll out. He checked his messages first, hoping that she had sent him something to let him know she was okay and she was on her way back, but he saw no new messages. He sighed and went to find Mabari's number. He waited and waited, then he was put on voicemail and he hung up. After that, he went to call Alex.

"Hey Jace, what's going on?" Alex greeted him.

"Y-you haven't seen Alyss at the docks anywhere… have you?"

"No, I haven't," He replied, "Whats wrong?"

"I c-can't find her anywhere. I haven't got any messages from her and I can't find her through the mark… I-I don't want to think-"

"Jace, c'mon. Take a deep breath and try to calm down. I'll get Connor and we'll all look around the docks. I'll let you know if something comes up."

"O-okay, thanks." Jace said and hung up. He sighed shakily as he went to call Tyr.

"H-hey, have you seen Alyss anywhere?"

* * *

Jace sat in the chair closest to the window a few hours later, blankly watching the rain fall and watching the lightning flash across the sky. His ears never stood back up fully since he felt those feelings. It was seven o'clock, two hours after Alyss was supposed to be back. Yang and Blake were in the room with him along with Shyla, hoping to give Jace some comfort as Raine and Auron searched around the school themselves. Yang and Blake sat at the table across from him and Shyla sat on Auron's bed, her knees drawn up to her chest. Ruby and Weiss searched for their team, the two being able to cover more ground with their semblances. The whole of APCT and JNR were searching as well. Jace would go too, but they had all told him to stay in the room and try to calm himself. Yang did not do well with rain due to her hair frizzing out by an extreme amount and Blake was there to answer any questions Jace might have about the mark.

He received two messages on his scroll and saw they were from Tyr and Jaune. _'We have had no luck so far. We will keep searching.'_

 _'No one else has seen her since she left for the city. Keep your chin up, man.'_

Jace sighed and typed out a reply to them both. _'Okay. Don't stay out in the rain too long, please.'_

He set his scroll down and looked back out the window. Yang looked at him in worry. She had never seen him afraid like this. Not even when he went to talk with her after her match in the tournament. His face was stained in tears as he just stared out into the storm. A bright and heavy flash of lightning and a loud crash of thunder shook the room, making everyone except for Jace jump a bit. He didn't even blink against the flash, even though his light-sensitive eyes should've been highly irritated.

He closed his eyes and searched once more for her mark. After a few minutes, he sighed and opened his eyes again. His scroll was hooked up to a wall outlet and it was on the message screen, it had never been locked in the last three hours. He also had the picture of Alyss and her mother on the table in front of him as well as her purple bow. He took it and ran the fabric through his fingers as he brought his hands up to hold his head in them.

"Have you checked for her mark lately?" Shyla asked quietly.

"Yeah… Still nothing." He answered monotonously.

Shyla pressed her knees tighter to her chest as she looked down. "Any word from anyone?" Yang asked this time.

"Tyr, Jaune, Alex, or Connor couldn't find anything. CFVY said they haven't seen her… I can't get a hold of Mabari," Jace gulped as he looked to Blake, "Wh-what's it mean if I can't find her aura?"

"Either something is suppressing it a large amount, or…" She stopped herself as she saw tears falling from his eyes again, "You're not feeling any pain in your mark, are you?"

Jace shook his head. "Then that means she's still out there and her aura is being suppressed by something. That takes out _that_ possibility." She could see a light of hope come back to his eyes, then his fear was joined by anger.

"How exactly would her aura be suppressed?" He asked lowly.

"There are drugs out there that can do it, but we all know she wouldn't take one."

"So it was against her will…" Jace said and clenched his fists.

The door opened and two drenched forms stepped through the door. Auron and Weiss. "We haven't found anything… I'm sorry, Jace." Weiss said quietly.

Auron took his hat off and put it on his desk. "Raine an' Ruby are stayin' out longer. They said their cloaks keep the rain off of 'em."

"I guess just dry yourselves off… We can look more tomorrow if the rain lets up." Jace said almost brokenly.

"You go first," Auron said to Weiss and nodded toward the bathroom, "I'm good for now."

"Thank you, Auron." She replied and Yang handed her a bag.

"I got you a change of clothes. I figured you'd be soaked."

"And thank you, dear." Weiss said and stepped into the bathroom.

Jace's scroll buzzed again and he looked at it, seeing another message from Tyr. _'We are returning to our room before this storm worsens. I swear she will be found, my friend.'_ Jace clenched his eyes shut as he laid his head in his arms on the table.

The door to the room opened again and Raine stepped in. "I can't go anymore… I used my semblance too much and I'm tired."

"That's alright… Don't over work yourself." Jace said in a muffled voice.

Raine took her cloak off and draped it over the back of a chair at the table. "I couldn't find anything either."

Jace's scroll buzzed once more and he raised his head up to look a it. He saw the picture of the headmaster and he picked it up immediately, his ears perking up a bit. "Ozpin, please tell me you or Glynda or _someone_ found something."

"Mr. Reznor, please gather Ms. Daturas and Mr. Karmine and come to my office immediately. This is urgent."

"Okay, we'll be right over." Jace said and the call was ended.

"What's up?" Yang asked.

"We need to go see Ozpin. Right now." Jace answered

Auron grabbed his hat again and Raine grabbed her cloak. "Let's get up there, then." Auron said and waited for Jace.

"Right. Tell Ruby and the others to get inside," Jace said and stood from his seat, then he looked to everyone else, "I'll let you know if Ozpin found anything out."

"We'll wait for Weiss and then we'll head out. We'll lock your room up for you." Blake said.

"Okay, thanks." Jace said and he and his team left the room.

Yang turned to Shyla, who had stayed silent almost the whole time. "You wanna come with us and stay in our room until they get back? So you won't be alone?"

Shyla nodded. "Yeah… thanks."

"Sucks that this had to be the time we met you." Yang remarked humorlessly. Shyla merely nodded in agreement.

* * *

Alyss opened her eyes slowly and moved her head. She gritted her teeth against the pain in her head and looked around the dark room she was in. There were ten others in the room, all Faunus and all huddled and afraid. She glanced around to her side and saw Caitlyn and Jack there, both still out cold from whatever happened. One thing she noticed was that no other Faunus there had collars other than her.

She rose herself up to a sitting position and pain shot through her head again. When it subsided, she brought her hands up and felt around the thing around her neck, then an alarm went off on it and made her jump from surprise. Two White Fang members rushed into the room after a few moments and stood by the door and another walked in soon after, silver hair hanging loosely over his head and face. His white wolf tail swayed back and forth behind him. He grinned under his half-mask and stepped forward to Alyss.

"Look at who's awake now!" He said excitedly and kneeled in front of her, "That's good. That means we can start soon."

"Start what?" Alyss growled at him, "Where am I and who the hell are you?"

"Ooh, you got a bit of spirit in you. That'll be good for us. Especially after those two bitches killed Adam and that coward turned his back on us all. And my name is Farrow, a pleasure to meet you."

"H-how did we not sense you?"

"Because of our semblances. Mine allows me to manipulate sound, letting me be as silent or as loud as I want. And my dear lieutenant's semblance simply allows her to manipulate time for a short period… It has nothing to do with your senses going bad, you can relax on that."

"And what are you gonna do?"

"We, my dear Huntress, are going to recruit you three. Starting with this little puppy, or maybe the lovely lady." Farrow said to her and looked at Jack and Caitlyn with a twisted grin.

"Don't you dare touch them!" Alyss yelled at him.

"Ah, a mate's protective instinct. I like that. You two will make for quite the team once we are done with you."

Alyss opened her mouth to deny that she and Caitlyn were mates, but Farrow spoke first. "Oh yes, I know you are mated. The pressure in my shoulder makes that very clear."

Alyss stopped the denial in her mind as she suppressed a grin. "If you touch her, I will make sure you suffer."

"Oh Gods the fire in you is just great!" Farrow laughed, "No, you won't and you can't. That little collar will make sure of that."

"And what does this little collar do?"

"Why, it's what Faunus slavers use to suppress the aura of their prisoners. It drains your aura away and injects you with these special little suppressants every so often that keep your aura in check. We stopped a ring of them very quickly and took their collars, and now here we are."

"You're not going to break me." Alyss said defiantly.

She was met with a hard slap across the face, the man's claws drawing three deep gashes in her right cheek. "I think we will start on you first, then."

Alyss glared at him. "Just try it." She said and was met with another slap and a harsh chuckle.

"Just sit tight… We'll take good care of you."

* * *

Jace was shaking the whole way up the elevator. Not from the cold rain, but from the fear in his mind for Alyss. Auron patted him on the shoulder and tried to give an encouraging smile. Jace took a deep breath and calmed himself down as best he could as the elevator reached the top.

They stepped out and saw Ozpin sitting at his desk, rubbing at his temples. The next they saw was Mabari, sitting in a chair drenched from rain and with his head in his hands. The group stepped forward and gained their attention.

"Thank you for getting here so quickly." Ozpin said to them.

"Did you find anything?" Jace asked.

"Mr. Reigns, would you like to tell them."

Mabari nodded and looked to the team with tears in his eyes. Ozpin brought chairs up for the arrivals and they sat down quickly. "I couldn't feel Caitlyn's feelings… After she and Jack didn't come home, I went to look for them. I went to the jewelry store where I knew she went and I followed her scent from there. I-I found Alyss' necklace on the ground down the street from it, then I followed the scent as far as I could before the rain washed it away…" He held the silver oakleaf pendant out to Jace and he took it with shaking hands.

"This is extremely troubling news…" Ozpin said grimly, "There have been reports of Faunus being kidnapped around the city in the last month, but nothing much is known at the moment."

"You don't think it's Faunus slavers, do you?" Raine asked in worry.

"I do not know. Ms. Wystar is a Huntress-in-training, but she would have still dealt with whoever would have attacked them. The only reasons she would have been taken easily would be if it were a rogue Hunter, or she was collared."

"Collared?" Jace echoed in confusion.

"Yes, Faunus slavers usually use collar-like devices that deplete a person's aura and send out suppressants to keep their aura down. That is why you haven't been able to detect her aura through your mark."

"W-what about you, Mabari? Can you find Caitlyn's?" Jace asked the Huntsman.

"I tried, but my emotions were too jumbled to let me see anything clearly and focus." Mabari said sadly.

"Wh-what can we do to find them?" Jace asked desperately.

"Wait… I remember something when I was looking around the area they were taken," Mabari said as he tried to think, "I saw… three claw marks in the concrete next to Alyss' necklace. They were filled with rainwater and purple nail polish was on the edges… that was how I saw them."

"Three claw marks, you say?" Ozpin asked with a raised eyebrow.

"That's what I saw. Maybe Alyss left that for someone to see…" Mabari's eyes widened as fear clouded them, "That would mean…"

"The White Fang…" Auron finished for him, "Son of a bitch… Not again… not like Charity…" He said lowly, remembering what had happened to his uncle's companion.

Jace's eyes widened as well. Everyone went silent as the news sunk in. Jace's lips started twitching and a deep scowl started to form. He started feeling a deep growl in his throat as he understood what had happened. He gritted his teeth hard and his fingers twitched over and over until he clenched his hands in tight fists.

He knew anger from when he and Genesis dealt with Michael and Liza in Atlas. He knew rage from when he and Genesis were kidnapped and when he was face to face with Hawk for the first time. He knew that rage from his family being torn from him. He started feeling something new this time. It was deeper than anger and even deeper than rage. What he felt was his blood boiling hot in his veins. What he felt was more than just the instinct and desire of finding his missing mate.

* * *

"Caitlyn!" Alyss whispered into her friend's ear and shook her shoulders.

She slowly opened her eyes and they fell to Alyss' bloodied face. She nearly yelled out before Alyss clamped her hand over her mouth and signaled for silence.

"A-Alyss? What happened? Where are we?" Caitlyn asked in a fearful whisper.

"I don't know where we are," Alyss said extremely quietly, "But it's White Fang… They're trying to break our minds to use us."

"Oh Gods, I thought they were gone from Vale…"

"So did I… They think we're mates…"

"Th-they think… they think we-"

"I don't know why they do, but I'm gonna let them believe it. They collared me and my aura's suppressed… But no one else is collared. Don't say anything about it."

"O-okay…" Caitlyn said and started stroking her son's hair.

Alyss was about to say something, but Farrow came into the room with a grin on his face. "Why hello there. Feeling better?"

Alyss only growled at him.

"I really love that spirit, don't get me wrong," Farrow said and sliced across the left side of Alyss' face with one claw, drawing a thin line of blood, "But you need to learn respect for your superiors."

"We're gonna get out and you won't be able to do anything about it." Alyss replied and he went to swipe at her again. She grabbed his finger in her mouth and bit down, drawing a yell from Farrow.

He drove his knee hard into the side of her jaw and sent her to the ground. She started bleeding from her mouth from her teeth biting hard into her bottom lip. "Gods, I'm gonna have fun with you!" He said and reached down to pat her on the head, "There's no way you're being rescued. Not by a One-Winged Angel, not by anyone at Beacon, and certainly not any human." Farrow laughed and left as the two women huddled closer together.

"H-he's wrong… Mabari will come for me and Jack and Jace will come for you… Th-they'll come for us…" Caitlyn said with tears in her eyes.

Alyss was about to open her mouth to give her words of assurance but she gasped at a feeling she felt, her hand shooting up to her mark. It wasn't hers, but it couldn't have been Jace's due to her depleted and suppressed aura. But it was definitely his, so strong that she felt it clearly. What she felt was an extreme amount. What she felt made her shudder.

 _Wrath_

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: So… that was a thing. Sorry, kinda. Shit went down fast. I won't be going into high detail about Alyss' time, but I hope what's written shows what happened to her.**

 **See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	71. Chapter 70: Hunt You Down

**Hunt You Down**

Jace sat himself down in the chair near the window where he sat before they went to meet with Ozpin. He was still shaking out of rage as he looked over the picture in front of him, holding Alyss' necklace in his clenched fists by the chain. Auron had already called the others back over to the room and they waited for their arrival. Mabari sat in front of him on the other side of him, equally seething in rage.

Jace's mind raced as every memory he had of the ash-blonde cat Faunus surged in him. The time he met her when she offered to heal his arm. The days they spent relaxing in Atlas when Jace got his prosthetic attached. The night they confessed their love. The times they shared with each other, cuddling and relaxing as Jace rubbed and scritched and petted her ears to further relax them both, then the times Alyss could return the pleasure. The first time they had sex, and the beginning of their road to being mates. Then the last time he saw her.

Every memory came to him and made his eyes sting hard as tears of rage and fear fell from them again. He laid the necklace onto the table and ran his fingers over the face of the picture frame.

"I-I will hunt them down…" He growled deeply as his eyes grew slitted, "I'm going to tear them apart piece by piece…"

"And I'll have your back." Mabari said in a snarl.

Raine looked at the two and shuddered at the tone of their voices. This was the dark side of Faunus mating. The fear and absolute anger that came with their mates being taken away from them. The overprotectiveness that came with the thought of their mates being hurt. That would make the two men dangerous and their moods volatile.

"I swear we'll get your son back, too. Even if I have to give my other arm for it." Jace said to Mabari.

"What exactly makes you want to do that for him?" Mabari asked.

"Because he was the first person to ever call me a hero… He's my friend…"

There was a knock on the door and Auron opened it quickly, letting RWBY, JNR, and Tyr inside the room. Shyla had decided to return home for the night. They all stood around the table, but gave the two enraged men a bit of distance. Blake saw the looks in their eyes and the necklace on the table and she immediately understood it was a gravely serious situation.

"What did you find out?" She asked them.

"White Fang." Mabari answered lowly.

"I thought we dealt with them, though!" Blake exclaimed in shock.

"Not good enough!" Jace snapped, making the group jump from surprise, "Apparently some slipped out before you could take care of them!"

"Hey! It's not like it was-" Yang stopped when she felt Raine's hand on her shoulder. She shook her head and motioned for Yang to follow her out the door.

"It's not gonna help to get angry with him." Raine said when she shut the door behind them.

"But that doesn't give him the right to snap at us like that!" Yang said in disbelief at all the rage she heard in Jace's voice.

"It can't be helped. For all the talk of how mating is wonderful for two Faunus, and it really _is_ , there's one glaring trait that caused us to be called barbaric animals in the first place. The protectiveness. And because of his Faunus DNA, Jace has that instinct too."

"Okay, and what exactly does that mean?"

"If you separate two mates by malicious intent, then the male's mind, or whoever is the dominant one in a lesbian relationship-"

"Wait… Dominant?"

Raine shook her head. "Questions for later. The mind of the dominant Faunus in the relationship goes into overdrive on finding his or her mate and it can be extremely hard to get a mind like that to calm down. From what I know, _nothing_ will."

"So both Jace and Mabari are gonna stay pissed until Alyss and Caitlyn and Jack can be found?"

"Oh yeah, they'll stay pissed. Just tread carefully when you talk with them, alright?"

"Okay… Got it." Yang answered and the two stepped back inside.

The air was extremely tense as they stepped back up to the table. Yang took a sharp breath at how Jace's eyes were. Both were wide open and she just noticed his pupils were slitted.

"I-I'm sorry… that I snapped like that. Sorry to both you _and_ Blake." The anger was still present in his voice, but the words were sincere.

"It's all good. Raine told me about what this does to a Faunus, so I'm not mad." Yang replied.

"Blake, do you know of any White Fang hideouts near the _Bright Flower_ jewelry store?" Mabari asked the former Fang member.

"Not that I can remember, I'm sorry…" Blake answered with a sigh. Since it was out in the open with more than just her team, she decided to tell everyone after the battle to retake Beacon. Nearly everyone gave their support, the exceptions being CRDL. They had threatened to beat her down and turn her in for being a ' _White Fang animal_ ' but everyone else stood with her and made them back down. General Ironwood being the main reason they had. It also prevented it from coming up in discussions such as these, "I've tried to push every memory of them from my mind, including hideouts. Banesaw might know of something."

"Then we'll talk with him tomorrow. As much as I want to hate myself for saying it, we should rest for tonight." Jace said.

"I'm sorry, but are you sure we can trust him?" Weiss asked him.

"He helped us with those damned cultists. Of course we can trust him." Jace answered her, trying to keep his anger in check.

"Then… I suppose I will try to as well." Weiss said.

"He's been wantin' to talk to you, too," Auron told her and she turned toward him in shock, "He wants to clear everything up, hopin' you'd forgive 'im for nearly killin' you."

"That all depends on if he can help find them. Then we'll see." Weiss replied.

"We'll get them back, guys. Don't worry." Ruby assured them both.

"I can't think of what I'd do if me and Ren got separated like that…" Nora said with her eyes downcast, "I don't want you guys to deal with it."

"We will all work to bring you both to your mates again." Ren assured them.

"You guys are tough. You gotta keep your chins up through this…" Jaune told them both, "You'll get through it."

Tyr came forward and clasped his hand over Jace's shoulder and looked Mabari in the eyes. "They _will_ be found. We will all stay at your backs and help you both through this. You have my word."

They all left the team's room and left the three alone. It was only close to nine in the evening, but everyone was drained of energy. They decided to go to bed early to hopefully get an early start the next day. Raine and Auron had already fallen in their beds, leaving Jace standing alone and thinking to himself. They had convinced him to change into his sleepwear, rather than his combat outfit.

Before Jace crawled into his bed, he took the picture from the table and held it in his hands. "I swear to Oum… I'll find you, Alyss. We'll find you and Caitlyn and Jack… I won't stop until I see your smile again."

* * *

"Good morning little kitty." Farrow said as he entered the chamber. Alyss was strapped into an uncomfortable chair and one of her eyes were already swelled shut as that female Faunus from before stepped from her and stood next to him with a smirk on her face.

"You don't deserve to call me that…" Alyss growled at him.

Farrow sighed and he shook his head. "Still no respect? I think you need more training. Fraiya, if you would be so kind as to cut the bruises to reduce the swelling."

The snake Faunus, with a long rattlesnake's tail, nodded and brought a sharp knife from her belt. Her tail rattled behind her as she slowly drew the knife across the large bruises around Alyss' eye. To her credit, she didn't give them to satisfaction of seeing her squirm. Fraiya finished her work and skipped back to her leader's side.

Farrow stepped forward and placed a hand on Alyss' cheek. "Please understand that we only want to be the good guys. We want what's best for the Faunus race."

"Is that why a product of the Fang murdered my mother?" Alyss asked coldly.

"The death of any Faunus is not our intention. I want you to understand that we have to do this to bring our sweet little family back to order."

Alyss glared at the man. "Burn in hell."

Farrow sighed again, then he looked to his companion. "Fraiya, please continue the training." He said and walked out of the room.

Fraiya stepped forward and came down to Alyss' eye level as her tail rattled wildly. "You just don't get it, do you? This is for the best…" She said and flashed her knife in front of Alyss' face as she cupped her cheek with her other hand, "It's the only way for us to take our lives back."

"I hope you see my father in hell!" Alyss yelled and grabbed Fraiya's thumb in her teeth and bit down as hard as she could.

The woman hissed at her slashed the knife hard hard across Alyss' knee, getting her to release her thumb.

" _Ooohhh_ …" Fraiya grinned and started licking her thumb clean from blood and saliva, "You'll be just _great_ …"

* * *

Jace stalked through the docks and looked all around him as he clutched _Legacy_ in his left hand, blade rested on his shoulder. He kept _Standoff_ with him as well. Even though his mind was clouded with different jumbled and rage-filled thoughts, he still knew his promise to himself. The two members of his team were with APCT, JNR, CFVY, Ruby, Weiss, Yang, and Vivi in the commercial district, scouring everywhere around the jewelry store where the two women and the child were taken. Mabari and Blake were at his sides. Mabari had his hands close to the hilts of his hook swords, _Ryze & Sett_.

They walked toward the meeting area Blake had directed them to. They all saw Banesaw sitting with Alex and Connor, both of whom had worried looks on their faces. The two knew Alyss was missing, but they had no idea exactly what was wrong.

"Hey guys, anything new?" Alex asked as he stood up to greet them.

"Only one thing," Jace said to him, "Banesaw, the White Fang took Alyss and Mabari's mate and son."

"What!?" Banesaw yelled out, "The Fang have been hunted down and driven out of the city!"

"Not all of them," Mabari growled, "And they'll pay for it."

"Oh Oum, Jace… I don't know what to tell you." Alex said with a sigh.

"You got any leads to where they are?" Connor asked.

"No…" Jace replied as he gritted his teeth. His ears were still pressed tightly against his head.

"Do you know of any hideouts near _Bright Flower_ _Jewlery_?" Blake asked Banesaw.

"None that have been active… The only one that I know of that is even near the location would be in the railways leading to Mountain Glenn. It has been inactive since the breach, though."

"Then they're probably using it to keep suspicion low." Jace said in annoyance.

"And if it's underground, then I don't think the mark can see through all of that dirt and concrete unless you're closer. That's what the books said that I've looked through." Blake said with a sigh.

Jace tightened his grip around his sword's hilt as he gritted his teeth harder than before. "If they got Alyss with one of those fucking collars, then that doesn't help me…"

"Bullshit it don't," Connor said and all eyes turned toward him, "If it's one o' them aura suppressin' collars, then we still got an advantage in findin' 'em."

"And what would that be?" Banesaw asked.

"From what I heard, they only use those things for Hunters that they catch off guard. That would mean that Mabari's mate wouldn't have one."

"But they're underground… the mark apparently won't work like that." Mabari replied.

"What if you get closer to the entrance?"

"That could be the solution…" Banesaw mused.

"Then let's fucking go," Jace said to them all, "We don't have any time to waste."

"I agree. This is an extremely dire situation for them." Banesaw said and stood from his seat.

"Hey Jace!"

Jace turned at the call and saw the sloth Faunus from Connor's ship, Slowbro, coming up to them.

"You're actually off the ship?" Connor asked in disbelief.

"Yeah… I wanted to talk to Jace…"

"Hey Slowbro." Jace greeted him.

The Faunus crewman put his hand on Jace's shoulder and squeezed. "You find her, man… Make her safe."

Jace nodded firmly. "I will. Thanks for going out of your way to come see me…"

"I don't know you both well at all… but damn it I don't want you both to hurt like this…" Slowbro said tiredly, "Just make sure you're both okay."

He left after that and the group left the docks in a hurry. Blake had called for everyone to meet at the jewelry store and to wait there. They went and piled in Auron's truck with Jace driving and Mabari in front with him. Banesaw sat in the back and began to speak to everyone. "I believe I remember two Fang members that were not present when Blake and Yang left us that day. Farrow Wyatt and Fraiya Oliver."

"Oh Oum no, I've heard of them." Blake said in worry.

"What is it?" Alex asked.

"Both of their minds are plagued with madness… Fraiya more than Farrow." Banesaw answered.

"Those two have been pushing for forced recruitment for the past few years… Even Adam didn't approve of it." Blake continued.

"Forced like how?" Mabari growled the question.

"Torture, mind breaking, blackmail… Anything like that." Banesaw answered.

Connor shook his head as he gripped _Demo_ in his hands. "Fuckin' pieces o' Grimm shit…"

"That is an accurate summary of them, yes."

"If they laid a finger on Alyss… then I'll kill them both…" Jace said in a deep growl and sped faster down the street.

* * *

"You are so strong, able to resist as you can…" Farrow said as he pushed the gurney closer to the chamber where the other Faunus were held. Alyss felt a deep growl build in her throat as she bit back numerous curses, "Although it has only been less than a day."

"It'll be all the sweeter when she finally breaks." Fraiya said from his side.

"True enough, sister."

They stopped just outside the door. Farrow leaned close to Alyss' face and smiled. "I _do_ love your spirit little Huntress, but it's getting tiresome. You seem like the type to care for others, so we will take each one in there one by one and break them before you. And your mate will be last…"

"I-If you touch her or our son… then I will rip your fucking tail off and shove it down your throat." Alyss spat at him.

Farrow sighed. "Threats will get you nowhere, my dear. Oh, and don't worry about your ankles or knees. The collar may suppress your aura, but it will still heal you. Albeit more slowly. Can't have a soldier that can't walk, now can we?" He chuckled and wheeled her into the room. He stopped next to her _mate_ and untied Alyss, then unceremoniously dumped her onto the ground. He exited the room as Caitlyn scooted closer to Alyss.

"Alyss, I'm so sorry I got you into this-"

"It's not your fault, Caitlyn," Alyss assured her as she struggled to a sitting position, pain shooting through the wounds on her knees and ankles, "I offered to come with you."

"I know, but I just… I feel so guilty that I'm the reason you're getting hurt…"

"Don't blame yourself, please…" Alyss said as she inspected her wounds. They were glowing very faintly as her aura tried to work to heal them. She felt that there was deeper damage than just gashes though.

"I'm just so glad that Jack hasn't woke up yet… I don't want him to see what we're in." Caitlyn said and ran her finger's through the boy's hair.

"Let's promise to keep this a secret from him. Then when we get out of here, you can get him that ice cream you promised."

Caitlyn allowed herself a smile. "Right."

"E-excuse me…" Another cat Faunus scooted closer to them, his tail wrapped protectively around his waist, "Wh-why do you try to make it harder on yourself?" He asked Alyss.

"Because if it keeps all of you from being hurt… then I don't care." Alyss replied.

"But you won't be able to last forever, though… It'll be too much for you, like it was for my sister…" The man choked out in a sob.

Alyss pulled the man closer and whispered very quietly in his ear. "Because… our mates are coming… My _family_ is coming… And we'll all get out of this. I swear."

"B-but I thought you two…" He looked between Caitlyn and Alyss with a confused expression. There was an explosion somewhere in the hideout and he saw the tired smile on Alyss' face.

"Me and her aren't mates… We're mated to two different people. Two _very_ loving, _very_ protective, and _very_ angry Huntsmen." She said and finally let herself fall into sleep, laying her head on Caitlyn's thigh.

"Huntsmen… A-are we saved?" The man asked and looked to Caitlyn.

"I believe we are…" She said and made herself comfortable as she began to stroke Alyss' hair along with her son's.

* * *

 **One hour before**

Jace pulled the truck to a stop and the group of six quickly stepped from it and regrouped with the others. "We have a plan." Jace said as he set _Legacy_ up on his shoulder again.

"What is it? 'Cause I wanna make 'em pay." Auron said. His voice was edged on where it was when he and Jace fought Hawk.

"We'll follow Banesaw to a White Fang hideout nearby that should be inactive. Then when we get close, Mabari will try to pick up on Caitlyn's aura." Blake answered.

"I suggest we get started, now." Tyr said in urgency.

Connor glanced around at the group and grinned. "This is one hell of a war party, ain't it?"

"And I'm one vengeful war dog." Mabari growled.

The group set out at a brisk pace. Banesaw led them through the streets and alleyways, always receiving a wide berth from passing civilians. Jace looked around at everyone that was willing to help both him and Mabari find their missing mates. From APCT, CFVY, RWBY, JNR, Banesaw, Connor, Alex, and Vivi. "Thanks for helping us out, guys." He said to them all.

"You're our friend, Jace. Both you and Alyss. We won't let you do this alone." Ruby said to him. She had _Crescent Rose_ in full form resting on her shoulder.

"Hey, if you're down, then we're down too," Jaune told him, "I like being able to cheer my friends up. That's why I wore a dress at the dance… To cheer Pyrrha up."

"It is a terrible situation you are in, but you _are_ our friend," Ren said calmly like always, "I would not be able to forgive myself if I did not offer my help."

"I'll break a few legs for both of you. A kneecap for every minute you spent without them by your sides." Nora said with a wicked grin.

"Damn right! I'll even only use my club for it!" Paige said for himself. Both halves of _Demolition_ were hanging from his belt as he tapped his fingers on the tops of them.

"Remember what I did to that girl in the tournament?" Terra asked from his side, "I'm gonna do that over and over and throw them into walls and everything. I'm gonna snap their legs and arms for hurting my friends. We'll make you guys happy again."

"And from what me and Tyr know, you deserve to be happy after everything you went through." Ashe said as she held both halves of _Vulcan_ by her hips.

"This is a battle that you can't fight alone. And I will be at your back." Tyr finished for his team.

Velvet spoke up from Yatsuhashi's side. "I understand what you're going through. No one deserves that kind of stress."

"If these Faunus are willing to tear two lovers away from one another, then I will not apologize in saying they deserve no mercy." Yatsuhashi said with conviction.

"You trusted us to set your room up for Alyss. I want her to see that every damn day and I want her to be safe," Coco took a glance toward Velvet and grinned, "And I'm not having these bastards try to take Velvet."

"You're good people. I'm helping because of that." Fox said simply.

"You get her back, and you can consider that what you owe." Coco continued.

"And I still owe that girl for my arm." Yang added to everything.

"And my burns, and Yang's hope." Weiss said from the brawler's side.

"And I owe you for keeping my secret for as long as you did." Blake spoke last for her team.

Everyone finished and Jace was finally able to speak. "Thanks… we owe you." He said to them all.

"You don't owe us anything. I still owe you for letting me use your last name," Alex said as he twirled the hilt of _Celosia_ in his hand, "The bonus is it's getting the White Fang out of Vale for good.

"An' that's good for everyone in the city." Connor added.

"A bright flame like Alyss doesn't deserve to be taken like this," Vivi said as her hands rested on the hilts of _Obsidian_ , "Like Velvet said. You and Mabari don't deserve to deal with this."

"Remember that we all got your back." Auron said and stuck his fist out.

"And you're our family. We won't stand to see you both suffer." Raine added and stuck her fist out as well.

Jace nodded and bumped them both with his fist and he was filled with just a bit more drive to find Alyss.

"I hope this turns out well for you both…" Banesaw said to both Jace and Mabari, "Both of you check for their auras."

They both nodded and the group stopped so the two could focus. After a minute of silence, Jace shook his head. "Still nothing… I'm gonna destroy that fucking collar."

"Wait…" Mabari said and tried to focus harder on finding Caitlyn's mark, "I think… That's it! I see her!"

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: This chapter's on the shorter side in this arc, but so much happened in it. Hell is coming to pass in the next chapter.**

 **Can you really cut a bruise to reduce the swelling of it? I got the idea from watching Hunter x Hunter and I've been wondering if its true. I couldn't find anything on the Internet about it, maybe the idea works in this.**

 **See you then, and have a nice day!**


	72. Chapter 71: Hell to Pay

**Hell to Pay**

The large group ran through multiple more alleyways and streets following Banesaw's lead. It would be safe to say a group of twenty-three armed people consisting of eighteen students, two Rangers, two crewmen, the former White Fang lieutenant, and two very wrathful men caused civilians that came across them to immediately back away from them, worrying what was wrong to warrant such a force.

They eventually arrived at their destination and found the heavily-locked entrance to the tunnels. It was in a long alleyway and had nothing around it to signify it was being used. The one thing they saw was the White Fang claw marks scratched into the wall next to the door.

"It will be extremely dark in these tunnels. And it would be unwise for the non-Faunus in the group to use glow sticks or flashlights." Banesaw told them.

"And why not?" Jace asked.

"Flashlights can malfunction. Glow sticks can lose their light. It is understandable." Tyr said as he grabbed one of the glow sticks from his belt.

"It gives us the advanatge of being silent too," Blake added, "Some Faunus are usually quieter in our movements. Especially cat and fox Faunus."

"And one cat and one fox Faunus Ranger is a bigger advantage." Vivi added with a bit of a grin to Raine.

"Silent?" Jace parroted as he glared at the door, "Silent means slow."

"I have to agree," Ren said from Nora's side, "Each second we waste may mean more pain for them."

"And this is coming from the quietest one out of all of us," Jaune added, "If he thinks we should go in loud, then we should."

"That's a good point, so let's go." Mabari said.

"All of us still cannot go in. It is too dark and your lights may do more harm than good by blinding the Faunus in our group." Banesaw said.

"Then it can just be Faunus going in." Jaune suggested.

Velvet quickly shook her head. "I-I'm sorry… I can't go in there. I don't do well underground…"

"No one will force you to. Only who wants to go can go." Vivi assured her.

"Hurry and get ready if you're going with us," Jace said irritably, "Once you do, that door's coming down."

"What'll we do?" Yang asked, "I don't like the thought of being useless out here."

"I'm sure there will be ones who will try to escape. And this is the only way out without running for miles underground." Banesaw said, drawing grins from most of the group.

Auron already knew one of the other two that were going and walked up to Jace and Raine. He grabbed Jace's head and pressed their foreheads together. "Bring her home where she belongs," He said. Now his voice changed completely to its deeper and more gravelly tone. He did the same and pressed his forehead against Raine's after leaning down quite a bit, "Make 'em pay."

"For our family." Raine replied and prepared herself.

"Damn right," Jace said and looked to Auron, "I'll make them pay… for Alyss and Caitlyn and Jack… and I'll make them pay for Charity."

After a few moments, all that would go in stood in a line away from the door. Banesaw, Blake, Vivi, Raine, and Mabari. Mabari bared his teeth as he brought _Ryze & Sett_ from his belt. Jace brought _Legacy_ from his back and focused burn dust through the blade. He took a deep breath as he closed his eyes, preparing himself for the fight. He pressed the side of his blade to his forehead and murmured a silent prayer.

"Oum… For whatever I might do, I'm sorry… Please let me find Alyss today…"

He opened his eyes back up and they were slitted as he growled.

"We're here." He said and swung his blade, sending the burn dust from it in a fireball. It made contact with the door and exploded it open, sending the heavy metal flying deep down the descending tunnel.

He focused bolt dust to his legs and bolted through the doorway, and down the tunnel as he flared the first stage of his semblance, making his body grow larger and making his eyes radiate his red aura. He sent an arc of fire down the darkened corridor and it illuminated the whole way until it met with the grunts that came to investigate. It knocked them all over and seared their skin, then Jace arrived.

One grunt tried to bring his weapon up to block the heavy blade but it was cleaved from his hand and he was cut down. Jace grabbed another's head and slammed it into the wall, then he turned and sent his sword in a side arc, bringing two more down.

The last grunt tried to get away but a hook sword pulled his ankle and took his leg from under him, causing his foot to be severely lacerated.

"Gah! My fucking foot!" He yelled, then Jace drove his boot hard into his chest and pinned him to the ground, knocking the air from him.

Mabari leaned in close to his face and snarled. "Where are our mates?"

"W-what? The only mates here are two women that are mated with each other! They even have a kid!"

"Where are they at!?" Jace seemed to roar the question.

"I'm not telling you anything!"

Jace yelled and drove his boot into the man's head, knocking him out.

Banesaw rushed up to them and looked around at the bodies. "I wish they would have joined us…"

"Not everyone can be smart like that." Jace remarked.

Vivi appeared next to them along with Raine. "If they run back toward this way, let them go. The others will take care of them." Vivi said.

"Okay." Mabari answered simply.

"Did you find anything out?" Blake asked.

"They think Alyss and Caitlyn are mates." Jace said in a humorless laugh.

"Then this is a complete surprise to them." Raine remarked.

"Let's go. I still remember a good amount of the layout of these tunnels," Banesaw said and the group set out deeper into the tunnels.

"You should all be aware of Farrow and Fraiya's semblances. Farrow has sound manipulation, letting him move in silence or make loud soundwaves by howling. Fraiya can use time dilation, allowing her to move at lightning speeds to us and she can use that to out-think us. Both are equally troubling."

They came into the large terminal where trains would have picked up their passengers. It was nearly empty other than tables, chairs, and other items usually present in a Fang hideout. The walls were covered in flags of the White Fang emblem and different posters condemning the Schnee Dust Company. A door opened from the far side of the terminal and thirty grunts poured out and came for them.

Jace yelled and ran for them. He jumped from the raised platform and brought _Legacy_ down hard into multiple grunts. One struck him in the back and he quickly spun and sent his blade to the Faunus' side, sending her flying into a pillar. Mabari came in and sent his hook swords around, hooking weapons from their hands and severely crippling them by slicing into their knees or elbows. Vivi and Raine stayed back as they sent their arrows into their numbers, thinning them down for the others.

Jace was struck in the face by a club and he sent his hand toward the grunt's throat. He pushed his semblance all the way and grew his wings, then flew towards the far wall of the terminal. He slammed the Faunus into the wall and the impact made a large indent as chunks flew around him. He turned back around and saw all of the grunts staring at him. He growled out a challenge as he sent burn dust along his sword's edge, setting it ablaze and illuminating his body and eyes. He started walking toward them and they started backing away.

"I-is that a fucking archangel!?" One of them yelled and a few broke for the exit.

"Don't be stupid, you dumbass!" Another yelled as a few more grunts fled.

Jace flew toward them and grabbed one by the mouth. "Where is my mate? Ash-blonde cat Faunus. Three piercings in her left cat ear. Emerald and sapphire eyes. Where. Is. She?"

"D-d-down the hall where w-we came from!" The grunt said fearfully.

Jace reluctantly let go of the grunt and growled at her. "Run…"

She needed no other invitation and ran past the others and to the exit. More followed but some foolishly stayed behind to fight. Blake and Banesaw jumped in and took care of them easily, then the group made their way to where the grunt pointed them. Jace deactivated his semblance until it was needed again and his wings evaporated quickly.

"I have heard people be called many names out of fear… but never an archangel." Banesaw remarked and looked at the seething teen.

"I don't care what I'm called. I'm getting Alyss back." Jace replied.

* * *

Everyone outside checked their gear, making sure they were prepared for any grunt that came out of the tunnel. Auron held the hilt of _Last Call_ tightly and held a revolver in his other hand, the black and lavender one. Tyr activated his semblance and Fenrir sat next to him, Terra looked ready to pounce on anyone who came out the door, Paige stood calmly with both his weapons resting on his shoulders, and Ashe held both her blades to her sides. Alex held _Celosia_ at shoulder level with the blade pointed toward the door. Connor rested _Demo_ over his shoulders, just waiting for the opportunity to rid the world of these terrorists.

Everyone stood, ready and waiting as Velvet's ears twitched. "People are coming. Get ready." She told them all.

"Nora…" Auron got the orange-haired girl's attention, "Take their legs out."

"Got it." Nora grinned.

"I'm gonna make 'em pay…" Auron growled under his breath, "I'm gonna make 'em pay for you, Preacher."

The first few Faunus made it out of the tunnel and shielded their eyes from the blinding light. When their eyes adjusted, they met with the harsh glares of the armed group of Huntsmen.

"You fuckers messed with the wrong family." Auron told them all.

* * *

Jace and the others walked down the hallway and went to the first door they saw. Jace kicked it open and peered inside. It seemed to be where they kept the valuables of their prisoners. Jace stepped inside and looked around, trying to find anything that belonged to Alyss. One thing that made him take a sharp breath was seeing _Atronach_ laying on a shelf in it's holster. He took it and attached it to his own belt, then he looked around some more. He found the box they had thrown all the scrolls in and looked through them, turning them on and off one by one trying to find the familiar background Alyss used. After searching through seven scrolls, he finally found it.

The picture was both he and Alyss, with Jace kissing her cheek with one eye on the camera and Alyss winking and smiling widely, making a peace sign with her fingers as her left cat ear was standing erect, showing her piercings, and the other was pointed to the side. It was nearly the same as his, except with Alyss kissing his cheek and with his mouth wide open as he stuck his tongue out, throwing up devil horns with his right hand. He was winking in it as well and both his ears stood straight up. At the sight of the picture, Jace's ears stood up and twitched for the first time since the day before. They fell back to his skull soon after.

Jace turned it off and put it in his pocket, then he took another to Mabari. "This is Caitlyn's. The background is a picture of you, her, and Jack."

Mabari took it and immediately held it up to his nose as he took a sniff of it. "It still has her scent… I should be able to follow it now. Let's go." He said and pocketed the scroll.

"That's one good thing about dog Faunus. And fox Faunus for that matter, Y'know?" Raine remarked to Jace as they continued down the hall, "We can follow scents as well as the highest trained canine. That means we've got to be close. We can find them. We _will_ find them."

"Well, I'm learning more every day…" Jace said with a sigh.

"Raine's right. We have to be close." Blake said.

"Hmm… hang on a minute." Jace said and closed his eyes.

"What do you mean ' _hang on_ '? We can't waste any time, Jace." Mabari said irritably.

"I'm checking for Alyss' mark now that we're closer." Jace replied. He focused himself as best he could as he searched for Alyss' aura. After nearly a minute, he saw something. Purple, red, green, and blue. It was small, but he saw it.

He snapped his eyes open as his ears perked up. "I see her! It's not a lot, but I can see her!" He said to them all and he broke off in a sprint down the hallway, but was stopped by a voice.

"And who do you see, exactly?"

They all turned around and saw Farrow and Fraiya standing and looking at them.

"Our mates! Where are they!?" Mabari yelled at them.

"Hmm, we should have known the cat was lying… Our plans were going too well for us." Farrow said with a sigh.

"That's what we get for not collaring everyone, sir." Fraiya replied to him as she had a staff over her shoulders with her wrists resting on them. Specifically, it was a glaive.

"What the hell are you doing with _Soul Leaf_!?" Jace yelled the question at the snake Faunus.

"It's a prize for bringing back a new recruit. You like it?" She smirked at him.

"I'd like it better if it was where it belongs. Where is my mate you fucking monsters!?"

"Ooh! Another one with a fire in him…" Farrow said with a grin, "I believe we've found more promising recruits… and the traitor." He said the last part with a glare to Banesaw.

"We can also deal with the one that killed Adam." Fraiya hissed towards Blake.

"How dare you use his weapon…" Farrow growled at Blake, seeing her holding both _Gambol Shroud_ and _Wilt & Blush_.

Blake narrowed her eyes at hm. "I use it in the memory of who he used to be. Not the monster you people corrupted."

"It's disrespectful to him. He knew what to do for us to rise up." Fraiya said and started twirling _Soul Leaf_ around with her hand.

"And what's your excuse, traitor?" Farrow turned to Banesaw with a glare, "Tell us before we execute you."

"I never betrayed the cause for equality. I only left the brutality that the Fang causes." Banesaw said with a matching glare.

"That just proves how much of a coward you are."

"Enough talk!" Mabari snarled at them, "Take me to my mate or I will rip your limbs off!"

"I wouldn't count on it…" Fraiya said behind Mabari with _Soul Leaf's_ blade extended toward him. Jace immediately shot his arm forward and grabbed her wrist, then threw her back from them.

She stood back to her feet as her tail rattled wildly behind her. "Now, I'm gonna have fun with you like I did with the little kitty." She hissed at him.

She seemed to blink forward to be right in front of Jace as she brought the glaive up in a thrust toward Jace's heart. He blocked the blade and she blinked away again, appearing behind him. She was able to score a blow against his back before he retaliated and sent his blade around and toward her side. She dodged out of the way of it and rushed forward at him again.

Mabari saw the struggle between Jace and Fraiya and he dove toward Farrow. The White Fang commander drew his falchion from his belt and blocked the cross attack of the hook swords. He jumped over Mabari's head and pushed the enraged dog Faunus under him, sending him off balance. Farrow landed behind him and laughed.

"I'd say I'm disappointed in your abilities, but your mind is clouded with anger." He said and went to strike at Mabari's back. Before the blade made contact with his exposed back, Mabari sent his leg behind him in a strong kick, catching Farrow off guard and sending him backpedalling. Mabari hooked one end of his sword with the other and swung at Farrow. The extended reach gave him the advantage as the pointed blade on the pommel of his sword kept the Faunus back from him.

The four other Faunus knew that they shouldn't intervene for Jace or Mabari. It was an unspoken code for the Faunus where if one was fighting for their mate, then it was their fight alone. These two, Farrow and Fraiya, were the ones that tore them from their mates and it was something the others should not fight them. As much as they wanted to help Jace and Mabari out, they knew that they could possibly be attacked if they did. For interfering in an extremely personal fight.

Jace sent _Legacy_ hard in a sideways arc as he fired a shot from the barrel, catching Fraiya in the side before she could react and sent her flying down the hall. Within a second, she was back in front of Jace, striking in a fast flurry of thrusts with Alyss' glaive. Jace's aura was going down with each hit but he couldn't do much against her semblance as she just blinked all around him. He positioned his sword to swing at her in a sideways arc from the left, but she blinked to his left side and struck him in the shoulder. He switched his sword to the other side and tried the opposite direction, but the same thing happened. A simple plan started to form in his head as he weathered another series of strikes.

Mabari separated his hook swords and started striking in a fast flurry against Farrow, driving the Faunus back against a wall. The wolf's tail brushed up against the wall and he grinned. Farrow opened his mouth and gave a loud howl, louder that what he should have been able to achieve, and used his semblance. He made a cone of soundwaves focused around the dog Faunus. Mabari's dog ears flattened out against his head and blood started coming from all of them as Farrow stepped towards him, continuing to howl at super sonic levels. Mabari gritted his teeth and used his semblance as well.

Farrow stopped his howl as Mabari disappeared from his sight. "What-!"

"Your lapdog isn't the only one that can blink around like that." Mabari said and brought a flurry of slashes to Farrow's back.

He turned around and blocked the blades just after his aura broke. Mabari blinked from his sight again and brought his blades' edges into the back of his legs, bringing him down to his knees.

Farrow felt the hook ends of _Ryze & Sett_ wrapped around his neck. "Time dilation?" He asked with a growl.

"I can blink myself to wherever I can see… Now, burn in hell." Mabari answered and pulled hard with his swords.

Jace had his plan figured out. Wherever he had _Legacy_ positioned to swing, Fraiya stopped time for herself and moved to the side the blade was going to come from. It was a simple strategy she used, but highly effective. But Jace figured it out. He prepared to swing from his right side again, then Fraiya disappeared and reappeared on his right side. Fraiya came down hard in a slice and caught's Jace's shoulder, causing a deep gash as his aura broke. Jace growled and dropped his sword to the ground, drawing a grin from the snake Faunus.

He turned and shot out with his left hand and grabbed her throat while she was distracted, making her drop _Soul Leaf_. She brought out a knife from her belt and tried to stab him, but Jace grabbed her wrist and sent ice dust through his hand and froze her hand solid as she dropped the blade.

"You don't deserve to have _Soul Leaf_ in your hands." Jace said lowly.

"You won't keep me like this." She said to him with a smirk still on her face.

"You know… prosthetics usually keep you from feeling in your lost limb…" Jace said and squeezed her throat a bit tighter, "But mine lets me feel so I know what force to put behind something…"

Fraiya lost her smirk as her tail rattled loudly and as she tried to claw his arm off of her, but the mechanical grip never relented. "But… I don't think I'll stop when my nerves tell me to. You people made me feel anger like I've never known. More than when I was kidnapped and experimented on… More than when my home was taken from me… And even more than when my brother and father died in front of me…" He growled and clenched his fingers tighter.

He slammed her back against the closest wall, then slammed her back into the ground. "Where is Alyss!? Where is my mate!?" He yelled the question at her as he choked her. Fraiya weakly lifted her hand and pointed down the hall as her eyes lost their luster. Her tail finally stopped rattling as her last breath escaped her mouth. Jace released his hold on her and went to pick _Soul Leaf_ up from the ground. He set it on his back right next to _Standoff_ and went to pick his other sword off the ground. He opened the tip of it and placed it against Fraiya's chest, then he pulled the trigger twice, making sure she could never tear two lovers apart again. He set _Legacy_ on his back with Alyss' weapon in the middle.

"Let's go." He said and the group walked down the hallway.

After a few minutes of walking, they came to a stop in front of a heavy-looking door. This was the one. Both Jace and Mabari could feel it in their marks that their mates were behind this door. Jace put his hand on the lock and froze it with ice dust, then he sent his fist down and smashed it apart, giving them all access to the room. The door opened and multiple Faunus looked up in fear, then it quickly turned to relief.

"A-are we free now?" A buffalo Faunus asked. One of his horns had been broken off and he looked at them with hope in his eyes.

Jace merely nodded and Banesaw stepped into the doorway. "Everyone follow me. We are getting you out of this place." He said and all the Faunus scrambled to their feet and left the room, following the former lieutenant from the hideout.

"W-we knew you'd come…" A quiet voice said to Jace and Mabari, "We didn't give up hope."

"Caity!" Mabari exclaimed in relief and rushed forward into the room along with Jace.

Jace saw Alyss laying on the ground with multiple cuts and gashes and bruises all over her body, especially her face and legs. She was still breathing. "Oh Gods, Alyss…" He said and knelt down beside her as tears of relief flowed from his eyes. The first thing he did was reach for that damnable collar with his left hand. He squeezed it as hard as he could and it snapped quickly under the pressure. He threw it across the room and cradled her head in his hands.

Caitlyn looked at him and gave a small smile. "S-she's so strong… She taunted them every time they came in the room… They always took her when they came and they left the rest of us alone… She wanted them to torture her to keep us all from the same thing… I-I owe her s-so much…" She finished as she started breaking down in tears.

"It's okay, love… I'm here now…" Mabari spoke softly in Caitlyn's ear and hugged her tightly.

"Jack's okay… they only gave him a higher amount of tranquilizer than us… He's only asleep." Caitlyn said and stroked the boy's hair.

"Let's get you both out of here." Mabari said and helped his mate to her feet. Raine came in and offered to carry Jack while Mabari helped Caitlyn with walking. They left and that only left Jace and Alyss.

He swallowed the heavy lump in his throat as he stared at Alyss' wounds. Her knees, legs, arms, and ankles were cut open but were slowly being mended by what little aura she had. Her face had smears of dried blood from where she had wiped it from her face. Multiple cuts on her face were scabbed over and three were very apparent. Three claw marks on her right cheek.

He took a deep breath and picked Alyss up in his arms, careful not to disturb the wounds and open them back up. He carried the heaviest part of her body, above her waist, with his prosthetic to prevent from dropping her due to his damaged right shoulder. He carried her out of the room and followed Mabari and the others toward the exit. He felt relief flood over him when he felt her breathing was normal. He started relaxing as he had her in his arms again.

She started to stir in his arms and she raised her head to look at him. "J-Jace…"

"Shhhh, just rest… it's alright. You're safe." He spoke to her in a soft voice. She gave a tired smile and wrapped her arms around him as she nuzzled her face into his shoulder. Jace truly didn't care that her arm was making pain shoot through his lacerated shoulder. If he could, he would take all of her pain for himself so she would be okay.

After a few minutes of slow walking, Jace finally came to the tunnel that led to the outside. He heard a large amount of commotion outside as he stepped closer and closer to the door. He finally emerged and paused as his eyes readjusted to the light of the sun. When they refocused, he noticed everything that was happening.

Multiple White Fang grunts have been arrested and they sat up against the wall. They had injuries that were mostly to their legs and knees. A small amount were wrapped in body bags as well. Jace looked over in the other direction and saw a large bullhead in the street in front of the alleyway with Mabari, Caitlyn, and Jack already on it. Vivi and Blake were returning the scrolls and other valuables to the freed Faunus. Weiss and Yang spoke with Banesaw. Everyone else was over there as well, including Ozpin and Glynda. Jace exited the alley and saw Auron and Raine walking up to him with smiles.

"I'm sure it's even more of a relief to you… But Oum I'm glad she's safe now." Auron said in his normal voice as he took a deep breath.

"You have no idea…" Jace replied as he looked at the girl in his arms.

"Mr. Reznor," Ozpin said and stepped up to them, "It is a great relief to see you return with your mate."

Jace gave a tired smiled. All of the lack of sleep and exertion of energy had caught up with him and he swayed uneasily. "Can we get her some help before we talk about this?"

"Yes, of course. You'll need it as well. This bullhead will take us back to Beacon whenever you are ready."

Jace nodded and stepped aboard the ship. Auron came up to him and sighed in relief again. "We'll all see ya up there. She's gonna have a lot o' visitors."

"Yeah… I'll bet." Jace replied.

Ozpin and Glynda stepped aboard and the doors closed behind them. Jace set Alyss down and took all of the weapons from his back so he could sit next to her. He picked her back up and held her lightly in his arms as he sat himself down.

"I love you, Jace." Alyss murmured into his shoulder.

"I love you too, Aly… Oum I love you so much…"

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: Holy shit, I don't know why but this might've been my favorite arc to write in this story. It's got one more chapter to it too, then just a few more to the whole thing after that. I went by what I knew about mating from l OmegaInfinity l's _Linked in_ _Life and Love_ and I started to think about how a Faunus would feel if his or her mate was taken from them like that. Faunus are probably _very_ protective of their mates.**

 **See you next chapter, an have a nice day!**

 **SUPER LATE AND EMBARRASSING EDIT: I went back, reading through this again, and I saw that Raine was in two places. I know she's a Ranger, but damn. Huge screwup on my part. If there are new readers that get this far, you don't have to see it.**


	73. Chapter 72: Our Little Family

**Our Little Family**

Jace bolted his eyes open as the bullhead landed outside Beacon's infirmary building. The doors opened and Jace stood up with Alyss in his arms. Ozpin led the group through the building and the nurses led them to two separate rooms.

The headmaster turned to the three dog Faunus first. "Mr. Reigns, we will allow you to stay here and recover-"

"What?" Mabari interrupted him a bit loudly. The damage done to his ears was setting in and he lost most of his hearing capabilities.

Ozpin brought his scroll out and typed in the notes of it to show him what he was going to say. Mabari read it and nodded, then he was taken to a room for treatment. Caitlyn followed quickly and laid Jack on the other bed in the room.

Jace was led to another room by a doctor and he laid Alyss softly into the bed. The doctor called a nurse in and they tried to have Jace wait outside so they can clean her wounds and change her clothes to a hospital gown, but Jace stayed by her side as he glared and nearly growled at them. He wouldn't leave her alone yet. Not so soon after he found her.

"Please, for the sake of decency." The doctor pleaded with him.

"I'm _not_ leaving her." Jace said adamantly through gritted teeth.

"I would listen to him, doctor," Ozpin stepped in the room behind them, "He has been through too much these past two days. It wouldn't be wise to separate them. He needs to stay by her side."

"I'll help if I can, too." Jace added.

The doctor relented and sighed. "Alright then. Let's not waste anymore time. To prevent her from waking up, we will need to sedate her. We will also be giving her a good amount of morphine to prevent discomfort and pain when she wakes up."

Ozpin left the room and the doctor gave her a dose of sedatives. He and the nurse cut the ruined clothes from Alyss' body, then worked to clean all the wounds. Jace took a sharp breath at seeing more wounds across her stomach, chest, sides, and back as tears filled his eyes again. They had hurt her so much in just a day. Caitlyn had said she kept their focus on her, but Jace didn't expect that so much damage was done.

The doctor glanced at Jace and let out a sigh at seeing his expression. "If you want to help, put on a pair of gloves and take this rag. Clean the wounds on her legs, please." He said and slid Jace a box of rubber gloves.

He quickly put a pair of them on and took one of the cleaning rags. He focused himself on gently rubbing the rag along every one of the cuts on her legs and feet. There was one particularly nasty cut on her left knee that made him wince when he felt it. He swallowed a bit when he felt something else.

"S-something's moving in her knee…" Jace said.

The doctor immediately turned his attention to the spot. He poked and squeezed around her knee as he grimaced. "Something is definitely broken… She will need surgery after we clean her."

"Oh Gods…" Jace muttered.

"Stand back, Mr. Reznor. We're going to flip her over now and clean the cuts on her back." The nurse said and he complied. The two quickly and carefully turned Alyss over, then they prepared new rags to work with.

The doctor handed Jace a new one and he quickly worked to clean the wounds on the backs of her legs. On her left leg, he started from her ankle and slowly worked his way up to her thigh, making sure to clean every bit of every cut he found. He went to the other side and worked on her right leg the same way.

The doctor looked at him in surprise at how he was doing. "You are surprisingly handling this like a professional." He observed.

"Instinct." Jace replied simply as he inspected the wounds. He just noticed that he didn't have either of his swords on his back. He would need to ask Ozpin to have them taken to their dorm room.

"Well that instinct is pretty impressive," The nurse said to him, "What's that come from?"

"She's my mate. I… I just know what to do, really."

"Ah, a mate's bond… That explains the mark on her shoulder," The doctor said, "I've treated multiple mated Faunus in my years…" He said and turned his attention back to the matter at hand, "Okay, now it's time to just clean her body off from dirt and grime," He gave a smile to Jace, "You've been a great help. While the nurse does this, please sit down and let me look at your shoulder. She will be prepped for surgery and I will make sure you can stay with her."

* * *

Jace opened his eyes as the doctor from before stepped into the room. His shoulder had been stitched shut and it was wrapped tightly. Alyss had been dressed in a hospital gown and she was completely cleaned off. The surgery was completed without incident as well. She had multiple bandages wrapped around different parts of her body, heavily on her left knee, and she had patches on her face covering those wounds as well. Jace had sat in a chair right next to the bed and had fallen asleep, hoping to catch up on it as much as he could.

"Hello Mr. Reznor. I believe your team has arrived. A nurse is bringing them in to see you both." The doctor said, then he left.

Jace reached into his pocket and grabbed Alyss' scroll, then he set it on the bedside table. He took her necklace out and held it in his hands as he sighed in relief once more. He took a shuddering breath as tears of the same feeling came from his eyes.

The door opened and the rest of their team stepped inside. "Your ears are finally perked up again." Raine said with a small grin.

"Yeah… I know she's safe now." Jace said.

"How is she?" Raine asked.

"Out cold with sedatives. They had to do surgery on her knee because it was broken. They found out that her ACL was cut too."

"Damn… ACL?" Auron shuddered, "'Least it wasn't that an' her MCL at the same time."

"When can she be moved?" Raine asked.

"They said that she can be moved to our room later." Jace answered.

"Good. From my experience, hospital beds ain't comfortable." Auron said as he took a seat near the foot of the bed.

"I know that pretty damn well too." Jace said with a tired grin.

"She needs to be in her own bed after the last day. What about her aura? Is it still okay?" Raine asked and took a seat next to Auron.

"They checked it and it's still almost gone. It'll take awhile for all the suppressants to get out of her system."

"She'll be in bed for awhile. No doubt about that." Auron remarked.

Alyss started stirring in the bed and a light _mewl_ escaped her lips. She opened her eyes and saw everyone sitting there, then a big, dopey smile spread across her lips as she started purring. "Morning, guuuuyyss," She said in a slurred voice, then she turned to Jace and her smile grew even bigger, "You're really happy."

"I really am. Can you tell?" Jace asked with a smile.

"'Course I can, silly. I'm really happy 'cuz you're really happy."

"I can tell because of that big, cute smile on your face," Jace replied, "You still need to rest, too."

"But I don' wanna… I want cuddles!" She said and held her arms out for Jace.

"I think the morphine is still messing with her." Raine said with a grin.

Jace shook his head toward Alyss. "Sorry kitten, this bed's too small for the both of us."

Alyss let her arms down and gave him a sad look. "Aww…" She said, then she noticed the gown she was wearing. "Sorry I gots my shirt all messed up…"

"I don't care about a shirt. It can be sown up and cleaned. I'm just so glad you're okay." Jace said to her.

"Does that mean I can have cuddles now?"

Jace sighed affectionately. "No, it doesn't," He heard a short whining noise come from her, "But you'll get to go to our room later. We can cuddle then."

"Yaaay!" Alyss cheered and gave a toothy smile.

"Y'know, she's pretty adorable when she's high off her gourd." Vivi said from the doorway.

"Hi big kitty!" Alyss waved.

"Hey yourself, little cat." Vivi greeted with a grin.

"Where's booty kitty at?" Alyss asked and tilted her head cutely, her ears going different directions.

"Umm… Who?" Raine asked in confusion.

"This one thinks she means Blake." Vivi answered.

"Why did you call Blake ' _booty kitty_ '?" Jace asked Alyss.

"Her butt looks nice." Alyss answered.

Auron snickered and started laughing loudly. "Good fuckin' Oum we need to record this!"

"Why? What's so funny?" Alyss asked and furrowed her eyebrows.

"Blake is still handing out everyone's valuables. She won't be back for awhile." Raine said to her with a mirthful grin on her face.

"Oh. Okay. Why's Auron laughing?"

"Because he's just being mean." Jace answered.

"Hey, don't you tell me you don't think it's funny." Auron said.

"It is, but I have control over myself," Raine said, then she turned to Vivi, "You come to visit, big kitty?"

"For a few minutes, little fox," Vivi winked at her, "This one just came to see how she was doing," She said and turned to Jace, "Caitlyn wants to know if you'd go see them."

" _Nooooo_ …" Alyss whined, "He still needs to give me scritches!"

Jace smiled and shook his head. "Hey, I'll give you scritches when I get back. You can give me some too. I promise, sweetie."

"You'd better… or you won't get fun-times." She pouted.

Raine and Auron snorted and laughed loudly as Jace stood up. "There goes my control!" Raine said and laughed harder.

Jace shook his head and leaned down to give Alyss a quick kiss. "I'll be back soon, okay?"

"'Kay. Tell Caitlyn that her thighs are _really_ soft."

"Umm… Okay." Jace said and exited the room to even harder laughs from the others. He walked down the hallway to the next room down, then he knocked on the door.

"Come in!" He heard Caitlyn call from the inside.

Jace opened the door and stepped inside. He saw that Jack was still asleep and he saw Mabari sitting up on his bed with his legs crossed.

"Hey guys-"

"What?" Mabari interrupted, still dealing with the damage in his ears.

"You'll have to talk a bit louder for him to hear," Caitlyn said with a small grin, "He'll be like this for a few days."

Jace gave a short chuckle and nodded. "Makes sense. His ears got busted up pretty badly. It was sound waves, it just went past his aura," He said to Caitlyn, then he turned to Mabari, "Hey, how are you doing?" He asked more loudly.

"Good mostly. Ears hurt but I have Caitlyn and Jack back, so I'm happy." Mabari replied.

"How's Alyss?" Caitlyn asked.

"Awake and high out of her mind from painkillers. She had to have surgery earlier for her knee. The only reason I'm over here is because the others are in there with her. If it was just me and her, I would've stayed over there."

"I can understand that. You really don't want to leave her alone, do you?"

Jace shook his head. "I really don't. She said you have really soft thighs."

Caitlyn let out a laugh. "After she heard that explosion, she laid her head on my thigh and went to sleep. It was the only time she did when we were there…" She clenched her hands shut as tears filled her eyes, "Just one day put us through so much… She's such a caring and kind-hearted girl."

"Yeah, I know… If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be here."

"She's smart too. They thought we were mates and she let them believe it so they wouldn't put a collar on me too. It was strange."

"I'm glad you're all okay. What'd they say about Jack?" Jace asked and glanced over to the boy.

"Still affected by the tranquilizer. They say it should wear off soon."

"Hey Jace," Raine said and stepped into the room, "Umm, Alyss is kinda meowing and won't stop. I think you should probably go and give her scritches now."

Jace gave a grin and looked back to Caitlyn. "See? High out of her mind. I guess I should go take care of that. I'll come back by sometime later."

"Okay. Have fun with that." Caitlyn smiled at him and waved.

Jace waved back. "If I don't fall asleep."

Raine let Jace by and she turned to Mabari. "Hey Mabari, how are-"

"What?"

* * *

"Come to visit?" Raine asked Ruby and Blake as she answered the door.

"Yeah. We got done with the jewelry and just got here." Ruby answered.

"How's Alyss?" Blake asked.

"She's awake. But she's still shaking off the morphine from surgery earlier, so she's still a little out of it," Raine answered and gave a grin, "I'm sure Ruby's gonna love what she called you earlier."

"What'd she say?" Blake asked.

"Was it bad?" Ruby asked as she tilted her head.

"Come on in and you'll probably hear. Also, Jace is… well, he's acting more like a cat." Raine said and stepped aside to let them in.

"Acting like howoh my Oum that's adorable!" Ruby squealed with a huge smile.

Alyss was sitting up in bed with Jace. Jace was curled up at her side as he slept, his arms wrapped protectively around her side and his head laying on her shoulder. His knees were drawn up halfway to his chest. He looked so calm and relaxed, completely unlike that morning or the day before. He had changed out of his combat outfit and only had on a pair of sweatpants, finally able to relax and actually sleep. Alyss had a goofy smile as she scritched and rubbed his ears. He was purring deeply, the sound easily carrying through the room.

Alyss heard Ruby and looked up, then she smiled more as she saw them both. "Booty kitty!" She exclaimed quietly, careful not to wake her sleeping mate.

"Booty wha?" Ruby asked with a grin and looked between Alyss and Blake.

"Umm… Why did she just call me ' _booty kitty_ '?" Blake asked Raine.

Raine grinned again. "Because-"

"'Cuz your butt looks nice." Alyss answered for her.

"Told you the morphine still had her." Raine laughed at the blush on Blake's face.

"O-okay… I-I don't know how to respond to that…" Blake stuttered quietly and looked away.

"I do," Ruby said and stood on her tiptoes to give Blake a kiss, "She's right. Your butt does look nice."

"Ruby!" Blake admonished and playfully pushed her shoulder.

"You guys doin' okay?" Alyss asked them, "You're being quiet."

"Yeah, we're good," Ruby answered, "I'm gonna take booty kitty back to our room so you can rest more."

"Ruby…" Blake said lowly with a brighter blush.

"Okay, I'll stop." Ruby grinned.

"I'm… not exactly opposed to _you_ calling me that."

Ruby gave a bright smile and turned to the others. "We'll be back when she can talk more soberly." She said to Raine.

"See you then. I'm surprised Jace didn't wake up." Raine replied.

"I'd say he's just really tired after everything from today and yesterday." Blake said with a smile toward the two on the bed.

"Bye booty kitty! Bye Ruby!" Alyss called to them with a wave as they left.

* * *

"Hey guys!" Ruby greeted as she and her team entered JKDW's dorm the next day along with JNR. Jace was sitting at Alyss' side as she snuggled up against him, and he had his right hand up at the top of her head, lightly scritching and rubbing her ears as she did the same for him. Raine was with Emowyn and Halt, telling them about everything that happened and Auron went to pick up Shyla so she could come visit Alyss.

"Hey Ruby. Sorry about yesterday… I was still out of it." Alyss greeted back, both of them moving their hands from their ears so they could talk.

"That's okay. It was adorable. Especially Jace when he was all curled up against you like a cat."

"I'm actually glad Raine took pictures of that." Jace said with a smile.

Alyss giggled a bit and turned to the others, "Everything going okay with you guys?" She asked.

"Yeah, definitely now that Jace calmed down." Ruby said.

"Oum, you should've seen him," Yang said with a grin, "When he found out what happened to you, he got extremely pissed and he was shakin' all over the place."

"I was able to feel that," Alyss grinned a bit as well, "I don't know how, but I felt how mad you got." She said to Jace.

"It wasn't just me. Mabari was the same way." Jace replied.

"And it's understandable. That's a mate's bond for you." Blake said.

"And we didn't know that until Jace snapped at Blake." Weiss added.

"If I knew that you were kidnapped at the time, then I would've warned them." Blake said with a bit of a grin.

"You yelled at them?" Alyss asked Jace in shock.

Jace groaned as he thought back to it. "Yeah… but I didn't know what to think and feel. It was all just complete anger for me. I just found out that the White Fang took you and… I don't ever want that to happen again."

"Same here." Everyone agreed.

"It is a great relief to see you both reunited. It was difficult to witness, seeing you both torn apart like that." Ren said in his normal, quiet voice.

"Yeah. When Jace was all angry and stuff it was pretty scary. But now that he can cuddle and kiss and snuggle you, everything's normal!" Nora added with a smile.

"And hopefully it can actually stay normal," Jaune said with a sigh, "I'm glad that you and Mabari got your mates back."

RWBY and JNR left them and the two relaxed back into the bed. Alyss' aura was slowly coming back as the suppressant worked its way out of her system and a few of the cuts on her body were able to heal. "I can't wait until I can use my semblance again. I wanna be able to get out of bed."

"Oh no you don't," Jace protested and lightly wrapped his arms around her, mindful of the healing wounds, "You're gonna stay in this bed and you're gonna let your aura heal you normally and you're gonna relax."

"It'll be fine, Jace. Don't worry."

"P-please… Just relax…" Jace said in a whisper.

Alyss gasped at the amount of fear and worry suddenly radiating from Jace's mark. She looked at his face and saw his eyes start to shine with tears. "What's wrong, sweetie?"

"I-I was s-so scared…" Jace said lowly, "After I sent you that text, I felt your fear. I felt that and I started worrying. I came back here and I asked Auron and Shyla if they heard from you, and they didn't. Then I tried finding your mark…" He let out a short sob and buried his face into the crook of her neck, "I-I couldn't see it and I was so damn scared that you-you-you might've…"

"Oh Jace, I'm sorry you had to go through that." Alyss murmured in his ear as she turned to wrap him in her arms.

"I-I don't want to feel that afraid again… I don't want to feel so useless… I just want to keep you close to me and keep you safe and not have to worry anymore. I know it's a dangerous life we have… but Gods I never thought you would be taken like that and I wouldn't know what happened or know where you were or if you were hurt or not… I should've went with you…"

"Shhh. It's okay, baby."

"N-no it's not… I should've went with you. I could've kept them from taking you and hurting you…"

"Jace, look at me…" Alyss said and Jace brought his gaze up to meet her own tear-filled sight, "It's alright. You came for me… that's all that matters."

Jace sniffled and brought his head down against her shoulder again as he cried. "I-I don't wanna go through that again… All of that anger and all of that fear… I don't want it… P-please just relax…"

"O-okay, sweetie… I'll relax."

Jace pulled himself closer against her. "I just love you so much and you're everything to me… I don't wanna lose you…" He whispered to her.

Alyss kissed his forehead and reached her hand up from behind him to start scritching his ears. "You're everything to me too, Jace… You're my whole world."

* * *

Auron walked into the room with Shyla by his side and grinned. "Everything gettin' normal?" He asked. Jace and Alyss were rubbing each other's ears again, calming them both from their short conversation.

"Seems like it," Alyss replied happily, "Hey Shyla." She greeted the girl.

She rushed forward and grabbed Alyss in a hug. "Oh Gods we were all so worried about you!"

"Owowow! Not so hard, please!" Alyss winced as the cuts on her body were disturbed.

"I'm sorry! I'm just so glad you're okay!" Shyla said and lightened the embrace.

"It's okay. I've gotten used to being covered in scratches." Alyss said with a grin and returned the hug.

"Little too much information, Alyss." Shyla laughed.

"I can't do much for a few days. That drug still needs to get out of me and my aura needs to come back. Jace doesn't want me to leave bed at all."

"Nope. Just take it easy. You deserve it." Jace said with a grin.

"I believe _you_ do as well."

They looked past Shyla and Auron to see Tyr and Alex in the doorway.

"Damn right abou that." Alex agreed.

"Hey Tyr. Hey Alex" Jace greeted.

"Oh yeah, we ran into them on the way up here," Auron said, "I figured it'd be good for 'em to see that you're all good."

Tyr let out a grin at seeing Jace and Alyss on the bed petting each other's ears, both purring without a care in the world. "I am glad to have helped you, Jace."

"I appreciate it. From all of you." Jace said with a smile.

"Alyss, I wish you a fast recovery."

"It'd be faster if I could use my semblance… But I'm gonna relax." Alyss replied.

"And I agree that you should. I believe I will go now. The others will be glad to know you are well." Tyr said and took his leave.

Alex came forward and wrapped both Jace and Alyss in a hug. "I'm glad you're safe now, sis."

Alyss hugged him back and smiled. "Thanks. And thanks for coming for me."

"Anything for family, Y'know?" Alex remarked and stepped back from them.

"Be sure to tell Slowbro. I'm sure he'd wanna know." Jace said to him.

"Will do. See you both later. And just relax." Alex said and left.

"Hey Jace," Shyla said as she looked at a ruined shirt on the table, "Is that her shirt?"

"Yeah. I would work on sowing it, but I kinda wanna keep cuddling with my kitty cat." Jace answered and kissed Alyss on the cheek.

"And I'm okay with that." Alyss added.

"You both are being so adorable," Shyla grinned as she took the shirt and looked it over. She pursed her lips as she saw all the cuts in it. It didn't look like it could be fixed easily, "I don't think you'll be able to fix it and make it look nice again."

"Really? Well that sucks." Jace said with a sigh.

"Don't worry about it. I can try it. It's kind of a hobby of mine." Shyla said and brought her scroll out.

"A weapon designer with sowin' as a hobby?" Auron grinned and pulled her down onto his bed with him, "Weird combo."

"Shut it or I'll sow you an ugly sweater and force you to wear it." Shyla warned.

"By weird, I mean great." Auron corrected and wrapped his large arms around her.

"I guess you can take the shirt and see what you can do with it," Alyss said to her, "Just don't make it into an ugly sweater." She joked.

"Don't worry. You'd get a cute one if I made one." Shyla replied with a laugh.

"What are you doin' on your scroll?" Auron asked his girlfriend.

"Just looking."

"Any o' you hear from Mabari or Caitlyn?" Auron asked the two on the bed.

"Caitlyn sent me a message saying Mabari's ears are getting better," Jace answered, "Still a bit hard to hear for him though."

"What about Jack?"

"Still doesn't know what happened."

"I'd say that's for the best," Auron said and gave a sigh, "Poor kid probably wouldn't take it too well."

"They'll probably tell him when he's older. Now's not a good time." Alyss said.

Shyla _hummed_ happily and put her scroll up, drawing stares from everyone in the room. "What's got you so happy?" Auron asked.

"Nothing. It's just nothing." Shyla answered with a knowing smile.

"I'm not sure if we should be worried or what." Jace remarked.

"You don't have to be worried. It's just something I looked up."

* * *

"Auron, be nice and get the door." Alyss said after they heard a knock. It had been a few days later and Alyss was walking around again, mostly with Jace's help due to her knee. Most of her wounds were healed now and only the three marks on her cheek remained. She sat with her back against Jace's stomach and chest as he sat with his legs spread out on the bed.

"Can't you do it? You can kinda walk now." Auron protested.

"No," Jace answered and pulled her a bit tighter against him, "She's relaxing and I'm comfortable."

"Yeah. What he said," Alyss smiled, "Pleeeaaase?"

"I'll get it," Raine said from her desk, setting down her rifle's sling as she stood up. She had been working on something new for it to make her rifle shift positions to her side from her back so she could draw her sword and knife easier, or just take the whole weapon from the sling, "Just stay where you are."

"Planned on it." Both Jace and Alyss said.

Raine rolled her eyes and opened the door, revealing three smiling dog Faunus. "Hey guys. Have you been-"

"What?" Mabari interrupted.

"Oh stop it. We know you can hear." Raine shook her head at him.

"Eh, I had to try." Mabari grinned.

"Hi Jace! Hi Alyss!" Jack said excitedly and Raine moved to let them in the room.

"Hey there. You been alright?" Jace asked.

"Yeah. Mom and dad told me I just passed out and I didn't wake up for a few days. They were really worried."

"Well it's good that you're back on your feet." Alyss said with a forced smile.

"What happened to you? Your cheek is all patched up." Jack questioned her.

"Oh, I just fought a few more Grimm than what I could handle…" Alyss answered, "But Jace saved me."

"And now she's relaxing." Jace said.

"Forced relaxing. He won't let me use my semblance." Alyss added.

"Shh. They don't need to know that." Jace laughed.

"What brings you guys over, anyway?" Auron asked.

"A bit of a promise." Caitlyn said and brought a bag up for them to see. She stepped into the room and set the bag on the table, then reached inside to pull out a small container.

Alyss smiled as she saw what she pulled out. "You really got me a tub of cherry ice cream?"

"With little chunks of chocolate and actual cherries." Caitlyn said with a smile.

"You didn't have to do that. Did Jack get his?"

"He ate it all on the way here." Mabari answered her.

"After I heard what happened, I decided to do it since you said you haven't had it in awhile." Caitlyn said.

"Thank you, Caitlyn. That's sweet of you."

"You'll have to find a place to put it to keep it cold until you want it." Caitlyn said.

Alyss glanced over to Auron. "Hey Auron…"

"Fine, I'll take it to the fridge in the kitchen. You're lucky you're adorable sometimes." The gunslinger said and took the ice cream out of the room.

"Sometimes?" Jace asked with a grin and kissed Alyss between her ears.

"We came to see how you were doing too. I'm glad you're both okay." Mabari told them.

"Same to you." Alyss said.

"Oh, before I forget," Mabari stepped toward the table with a large sack in his hand, "Jace, Caity told me how you like the apples from Calm, so I got you a bunch."

"Mabari, you're awesome," Jace gave a smile, "Thanks, man."

"We're gonna go ahead and go now," Caitlyn walked forward and gave Alyss a light hug, "Thank you so much for protecting us, Alyss." She said in a low whisper.

Alyss hugged returned the hug and nodded. "You're welcome. It would've been worse for you."

Caitlyn stepped back and smiled as she nodded. "Bye. Both of you stay safe." She said and the family left them.

"I wonder if Jack is gonna train to be a Huntsman." Raine said and went back to tinkering.

"I hope he does. I wanna help train him." Jace said with a grin.

"I'm sure he'd love that." Alyss said.

Jace laughed and kissed the back of her head. "I can't wait."

Raine heard her scroll buzz and she went to check the message she received. "Well, apparently Vivi wants to talk with me about something important, so I'll be back later." Raine said and stood from her desk.

"I wonder what that's about." Alyss said.

"Who knows, but I'm not keeping my big kitty waiting. See you tonight." Raine replied and walked from the room with her bow and quiver of arrows.

"See you then." Alyss said with a wave.

Jace heard his scroll buzz from his nightstand and groaned as he took his arm from Alyss and reached for it. He checked the message from Auron and grinned.

 _'To keep both of you from using me like a mule, I'm heading to go see Shyla. May not be back tonight. Have fun.'_

"Auron's keeping his distance from us and he's going to Shyla's place." Jace told Alyss and set his scroll back on the nightstand.

"Keeping his distance?" Alyss echoed and turned around in his arms, propping herself up on her hands as she grinned at Jace, her breasts pressing against his chest.

"To keep you from making him do stuff," Jace grinned back, "He said he might not be back tonight."

"And Raine won't be back for awhile…" Alyss added with a growing smirk.

"What do you want to-" Jace was cut off when Alyss planted her lips to his. She opened her mouth more and pushed her tongue inside his mouth, circling his. Before Jace could return the kiss how he wanted, Alyss pulled back and put a finger on his lips.

"What I want to do…" Alyss cooed and stood on her knees in front of him, ignoring the pain in her left knee, "is keep my promise from before…"

* * *

"It is good to see you recovered, Ms. Wystar." Ozpin said as she and Jace sat down in the Headmaster's office the next day.

"Mostly. My knee is still bothering me, but I'm walking around more." Alyss smiled.

"And Mr. Reznor is preventing you from using your semblance, correct?" Ozpin asked with a grin.

"Yep. I want her to just relax." Jace said.

"And she deserves it after these past days…" Ozpin said and sighed at having to ask the next question, "Ms. Wystar… how is it that you were captured?"

The two mates' expressions immediately grew serious as Alyss straightened up more in her seat. "There were two Faunus that snuck up on us with their semblances. The leader, Farrow, used sound manipulation. His lieutenant, Fraiya, used time dilation. Fraiya knocked Caitlyn and Jack out first and injected them with a tranquilizer. That distracted me, giving Farrow the chance to put that collar around my neck."

"So they did use collars…" Ozpin said, "And they took you three to their hideout in the tunnels, where they subjected you to torture for twenty hours."

"Yes sir." Alyss confirmed with a grimace.

"Mrs. Reigns told me a good deal about that. She said you taunted them into only torturing you. You saved them both from that trauma and took all of that pain onto yourself… I have to ask, why did you put yourself at risk like that?"

Alyss wiped at her cheek as a tear fell from her eyes. "Because they wouldn't have been able to take it. Caitlyn isn't a Huntress and Jack is just a kid. If they were tortured… then they probably wouldn't have survived…"

"But your aura was suppressed and you took every bit of pain and damage to your body. How is it that you were able to take that as you did?"

"Because I know abuse…" Alyss said quietly, "My father abused me as a child and I just had to find some way to cope. My mom always petted my ears and told me stories back then. And for coping now… I'm training to defend this world against the Grimm and people like my father, Farrow and Fraiya, Hawk, and the White Fang. I wanted to see my friends and I wanted to be with my mate. I know Caitlyn wanted to be with Mabari again, but if they hurt Jack then she might not have had the will to keep fighting. That's why I wanted them to take me and torture me. I didn't want Caitlyn or Jack or really any of the other Faunus to be hurt."

Ozpin looked at her for a few moments, judging her expression. It was full of sincerity. He smiled and nodded to her. "You are quite the remarkable girl. I am proud to have you as a student."

"Thank you, sir." Alyss said with a returning smile.

"And it was very impressive that you kept your wits about you and clawed the ground like you did. That may very well be the only reason Mr. Reznor and Mr. Reigns were able to find you."

"We had a lot of help that I'm very grateful for." Jace said from the side.

"That you did… You've made the most of the hand you were dealt, Mr. Reznor. From coming here for the first time to where you are now. You have the spirit of a true Huntsman. Both of you do."

"Thank you, headmaster." They said and bowed their heads.

"Now, both of you may be dismissed. Please relax and cherish your time together." Ozpin said to the two.

"Thank you, sir. Have a good day." Alyss said and rose from her seat.

"You as well, Ms. Wystar." Ozpin replied with a smile.

Jace rose with Alyss and bowed to Ozpin. "I just want to thank you again. For letting me into Beacon like you did. I never would've met Alyss if you didn't accept me."

"You deserve to be here, Mr. Reznor. You had potential back then and you have more than fulfilled my expectations of you. Before your first official class, no less. You don't have to thank me for anything." Ozpin replied, then they left the office.

* * *

 **One month later**

Jace stood in the kitchen of the dorms, working tirelessly on preparing a meal of noodles for his team. Especially for Auron, since it was his birthday the next day and he would be out with Shyla for her day off work. He asked Ren to help him in preparing the fish and chicken for it and he had everything else cut up and ready to go. Ren had finished with his work and left Jace alone to finish it. He started dumping and mixing the fish and vegetables into one pot and let it all heat up evenly. He had smaller pots already made up for Raine, Auron, and himself with Raine's having chicken, Auron's having ghost pepper sprinkled over and mixed in, and his having fish along with Alyss'.

"Hey Jace," Raine said as she entered the kitchen, "Ozpin called us and said Alyss has a couple things in our mailbox."

"We have a mailbox?" Jace asked as he began dumping the noodles into bowls.

"Yeah, we apparently do. I'm gonna go pick it up for her."

"Okay. Thanks," Jace said and turned to face her with a smile, "I'm really happy for you and Vivi."

Raine let out a huge smile as she ran her fingers over the bruise on her shoulder. "Thanks, Jace."

"Feels good, doesn't it?" Jace asked.

"It really does… I've been wanting to be with her for such a long time before and now we're mated. Weird how life turns out."

"Weird, but good sometimes."

"Yeah, definitely." Raine agreed and left Jace to finish the meal.

Jace set the dirty pots in the sink and grabbed a few forks. He set the four bowls on a large plate along with drinks and walked back to their room.

When he arrived, Alyss was sitting at the table and Auron was on his bed reading through the book Jace had given him. Alyss looked up from the picture she was staring at and smiled at him. "I guess the food's done?"

"Yep. A cherry soda with a bowl of fish noodles for you," Jace said and set the bowl in front of her, "Orange soda and ghost pepper noodles for you," He said and did the same for Auron, "Vanilla soda and chicken noodles for Raine, and cherry soda and fish noodles for me." He finished and sat down next to Alyss.

"What made you wanna fix us food?" Auron asked.

"Because your birthday is tomorrow and I figured you'd wanna relax before your date with Shyla." Jace answered.

"Thanks, then. I _do_ kinda wanna relax." Auron replied.

"It's also a way of paying you back for asking you to do a lot lately," Jace said with a grin, "Plus I don't thnk I do it enough, anyway."

"It's really good, too." Alyss said and kissed him on the cheek.

"Thanks for the ghost pepper. Been so damn long since I had it." Auron said and took a bite of his noodles.

"What's Raine going to get?" Jace asked Alyss.

"I don't really know. I know one of them, but not the other." Alyss answered.

After thirty minutes of slowly eating their food and sipping on their drinks, Raine returned with two packages. She looked at Jace with a raised eyebrow. "Are you stealing my food?" She asked as Jace's hands hovered over her bowl.

"I'm keeping it warm with burn dust. Hurry up and eat." Jace said and took his hands from it.

"Thanks, then."

"Hey, I said that too." Auron said with a chuckle.

Raine sat down and started eating her food after handing Alyss the packages. "What is it?" Jace asked.

"Umm…" Alyss quickly moved one out of Auron's sight and she held the other one in front of her. "From Adel Clothing? I didn't know Coco's family was in that business."

"You been hangin' out with her or somethin'?" Auron asked.

"No, I haven't. I don't remember ever ordering… A shirt?" Alyss opened the box and pulled the item out. She held it out and looked on the front of it, eyes widening when she saw the design, "It's the one you got me, Jace. It's completely fixed."

"Really?" Jace asked and leaned over to look at it, "Who would've…" He looked in the box and saw a note in it. He took it out and looked it over. He smiled when he saw it was from Shyla.

 _'Hey Alyss. I decided to send your shirt off to the Adel Clothing Company. I looked it up and I found out they fix up clothes_ _and make them like new again. It's the exact same as before, still the one that Jace got you. Even with sowing being my hobby, I knew I couldn't fix it, so I had the pros handle it. I hope you like it._ _See you soon, girl.'_

 _"Thanks, Shyla…"_ Jace thought to himself.

"I'm so glad it's fixed now. I really love this shirt…" Alyss said with a wide smile and went to put it in her dresser.

"You can thank Shyla. She sent it to get it fixed." Auron said with a grin.

"I really need to thank her. That was so sweet of her to do." Alyss said. She folded it and put it up, then she went back to the table. She looked at the other, smaller box and took a deep breath as she picked it up.

"Auron… Close your eyes." She requested of her partner.

"Why? You ain't gonna spike my food, are ya?" Auron asked with a grin.

Alyss laughed. "No, nothing like that. Just close your eyes, please."

"Alright. I'm trustin' you." Auron said and closed her eyes.

Alyss opened the box up and smiled as she pulled the item out. Raine let out a short gasp at the pendant. Jace's mouth formed a smile as he looked away to keep his eyes from tearing up. Alyss placed it on the table in between her and Auron and she took another deep breath as she went to stand next to him.

"Alright. Open your eyes." She said.

Auron opened them slowly and he looked down at the table. His mouth gaped open as he saw the necklace of Pyrrha's emblem. It was a disk of bronze-gold with the design deeply etched into it. He closed his mouth and reached out for it as his hands shook, then he picked it up and ran his fingers along its surface.

"Look on the back." Alyss said quietly.

Auron did as he was told and his eyes started to tear up as he read the words etched on the back. ' _For it is in passing that we achieve immortality_.' Auron took a deep breath as he closed his eyes.

"Happy birthday, Auron." Alyss said with a nervous smile.

"Oum…" Auron said silently as he clutched the necklace in his hand. He stood up and wrapped Alyss in a tight hug, "This… I'll wear it every day… Thank you so much, Aly."

Alyss returned the hug gladly. "I'm glad you like it. I thought of it on the way to the jewelry store with Caitlyn."

"I think I got a great little family here." Auron said with a smile.

Alyss gave a wide smile as well as the others stood and joined the hug. "I couldn't agree more." Alyss said.

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: High kitty is cute and loose-minded kitty.**

 **Everything is coming to a close now. Things are finally calm now, and now it's time for that ceremony.**

 **Be prepared for a few more long chapters.**

 **See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	74. Chapter 73: Another End

**Another End**

 **One month later**

"Ladies and gentlemen of Remnant," Ozpin started as he stood tall in front of the crowd of people and the cameras, broadcasting throughout the continents and to the councils, villages and capitals, "We are here today to officially announce the reclaiming of Vale and Beacon Academy…"

Everyone assembled in the crowd started clapping. Preacher, Kathy, and Gail were there in the front row for Auron. Emowyn was next to them for Raine and Halt. Epirus and Helena were on the other side of them for Auron, JNR, Ruby, and their fallen daughter. TaiYang was there for Ruby, Yang, and Qrow. Caitlyn and Jack were there for Mabari, as well as Jace, Alyss, Halt, and Raine.

The six teams behind Ozpin on the stage, along with the Rangers and Huntsmen who helped bring Vale back to order, were clapping as well. Ozpin waited for the clapping to die down until he spoke more. "I believe there are a few people I should officially thank and recognize before anything. When I call your names, please stand," He said to all the ones behind him.

"Glynda Goodwitch, Peter Port, Bartholomew Oobleck, Qrow Branwen, James Ironwood, Winter Schnee, Mabari Reigns, Halt Daturas, Vaas Helms, Vivian Strife, Will Altman, Connor and Viktor Stone, and Jax Creed," The Huntsmen and Rangers stood up behind him as the crowd cheered for them, "These men and women fought together for this kingdom and for all of us here. James and Winter had no obligations to help, neither did Jax, Connor, or Viktor. These five warriors chose to help out of their respect and honor. I believe Mr. Creed had another reason to assist as well, if he would like to step forward." Ozpin said and Jax stepped forward with a nod.

"Thank you sir," Jax bowed to Ozpin and turned to the crowd, "In Mistral, I had the honor to meet a kind-hearted girl that is with us on this stage today. She used her semblance on me to heal my blinded eye for nothing in return. I came here to fight at her side to show my gratitude to her. Her name is Alyss Wystar." He turned to Alyss, then bowed in thanks to her once again.

Ironwood cleared his throat and stepped forward. "If I may speak," He said and Ozpin nodded for him to continue, "I will not deny it, but it is partly my fault that Vale fell so easily. My army was hacked by our enemy and were turned against us, nearly killing myself as well as these students and Hunters. I will not make any excuses, but I promise you that our security is and _will_ be upgraded further in the future to prevent this from happening again to any Kingdom." He took a breath and nodded to the crowd and stepped backward for Ozpin.

"Thank you, James. Now, there is one more person on this stage. He came to us in our time of need and he played a great hand in stopping the recent Faunus kidnappings of two months ago. With his current attire, you may not recognize him," The towering Faunus stood from next to Blake and stepped forward, dressed in a black suit, "But, you know the alias he has went by in the past three years. Banesaw, former lieutenant of the White Fang and leader of the Flames of Hope." Ozpin stepped back and the large Faunus stepped to the microphone.

The silence was deafening from the crowd. "Yes, I know it is a shock and I know what a good portion of you are thinking. But please, hear me out. A two months prior to Vale's recapture, the group of White Fang led by Adam Taurus was defeated. I was there as well, and Adam was killed. Then, one of the two who beat us down addressed us. If she would like to, I would ask for her to join me," He said and a couple seconds later, Blake was standing next to him, "This young Huntress opened our eyes to the horrors we have committed."

"I used to be in the White Fang," Blake said first thing, causing gasps from the crowd, "The _old_ Fang. Not the monsters you see today. I left them because I didn't want bloodshed, I wanted peace. _True_ peace. Not peace through violence and fear but through understanding and respect. My friend used to see it that way and I tried to convince him to leave the Fang too, but he was corrupted by their leader's hate…"

"That… that was Adam Taurus. My old friend, my old partner, my old mentor… And I had to kill him. After I did that, I told all of the others that were there that they were wrong. Violence breeds violence. Hate only brings more hate. Fear isn't the path to go toward peace, and now these former Fang members see that and they helped us take our city back. Remember that we become what we behold. And remember that you should thank them as much as you thank the rest of us."

"This young woman gave us the opportunity to right our wrongs," Banesaw said and bowed to the crowd, "As I have said many times over the past few months, I know that we can't atone for everything we have done. But we will fight with you and for you. We will stay on your side and for what it is worth, you all have my word."

It took a few moments, but the crowd started clapping for them both. Banesaw smiled a bit and bowed deeply to them once more, then the two Faunus went back to their seats. Ozpin stepped back up and quieted the crowd down. "A new leaf turned is always a welcome change. Thank you again," He said toward Banesaw, then he turned back to the crowd.

"Now, I will call on the students that came from Atlas to help in this kingdom's time of need, and a crewman that works for Connor Stone. Team APCT. Tyr Alexander, Paige Corbin, Ashe Crane, and Terra Lockhart. Two members of team GLSS; Michael Slater and Liza Flair. And finally, Alex Reznor," The seven stood from their seats and bowed, "Would any of you like to say anything?"

Tyr, Alex, Michael, and Liza stepped forward. Tyr motioned for Michael and Liza to go first. Michael stepped closer to the microphone and took a deep breath. "Back when we were in another team in Atlas, and I'm sorry for my language here, we made our teammates' lives hell. We wouldn't listen to orders or anything else while we just coasted by on their skill. We… _I_ almost got us all killed."

"We didn't deserve it, but we were forgiven," Liza started and glanced behind them toward Jace, and he nodded to her, "His name is Jace Reznor. I wouldn't feel right saying it, but he and his brother went through some bad times and a lot of things happened. We came back with the General and fought with them to make up for what happened before." She finished and stepped back as everyone clapped and cheered for the twos' honesty.

Tyr stepped forward and gave a small grin. "I also know Jace. But we were on different teams and were only able to talk just before the tournament. After hearing what he went through, I've grown to respect him as well as his teammate Auron for what they came from. Out of that respect and the friendship we forged, I chose to come here to assist. If I had to, I would've done it alone, but my team came with me and we fought for this kingdom as well as those two. These are trying times, but I know that we will pull through it just as Jace and Auron have pulled through their pasts."

The three stepped back and went to their seats as the crowd clapped and cheered for them. Alex stepped up to the podium and took a deep breath. "I… I never thought I'd talk in front of the world like this. Especially after I ran from home," He started and his mouth twitched into a frown, "I ran off because my birth parents started abusing me a few years ago. It took a long time to finally build up the courage to get away. It wasn't physical… it was verbal and mental and emotional," He sighed and shook his head, "It started after I started going to combat school and I came back with good grades. I don't know why, I honestly don't care. All I know is that the Storms are some of the worst people to exist. I changed my last name to Reznor because I met my brother,"

"We had the same birth parents. They just abandoned him and he got adopted. When I met him last year, he let me use his family's last name so I don't have to have anything to do with the Storms anymore. That's Jace Reznor. And honestly, I'm glad I ran away…" Alex started to turn away, but somethin in his mind stopped him and he faced the crowd again, "Y'know what… Jace, if you don't wanna hear their names, then cover your ears because I'm exposing them to the entire world," Alex said and looked straight into the center camera, "Bray and Abigail Storm… Thank you for making my life hell because now I'm around people _and_ family that actually care." Alex finished and walked back to his seat, seeing Jace covering his human ears while Alyss covered his cat ears, while the crowd clapped for him.

Ozpin stepped forward and smiled. "You all have my gratitude. And Alex, I would like to speak with both you and Connor after the ceremony. Now, I would like to recognize my own students that returned. Team CFVY. Coco Adel, Fox Alistair, Velvet Scarlatina, and Yatsuhashi Daichi. Team CRDL. Cardin Winchester, Russell Thrush, Dove Bronzewing, and Sky Lark. Team JKDW. Jace Reznor, Auron Karmine, Raine Daturas, and Alyssia Wystar. And finally… the two teams that saved my life. Teams RWBY and, I regret to have to say this, the remainder of JNPR. Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, Yang Xiao Long, Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie, and Lie Ren. Would any of you like to speak?" He asked all the teams.

None of them stood up, so Ozpin turned back to the crowd. "On the night Vale was lost, many have fallen and few still stand tall. Students and civilians from all kingdoms. Men and women with dreams that never will be realized… One such person was Pyrrha Nikos, a remarkable young woman that gave herself to stop Cinder Fall. At the great cost of her life, she did succeed in the end. Due to her sacrifice, Cinder was ultimately stopped and the Dragon was frozen. Her spirit remains in the memories of her friends and family," Ozpin looked down a bit for a few moments, "If you'll join me, I would like to hold a moment of silence for Ms. Nikos and all the others who lost their lives on that night…" He said and everyone in the crowd and on the stage bowed their heads. After several moments, Ozpin rose his head up to the cameras.

"Is it alright if I say somethin'?" Auron spoke up with tears in his eyes.

"Of course, Mr. Karmine."

Auron stood and stepped forward to the podium. He wore both the necklaces of his father's and Pyrrha's emblems. He raised the microphone up a bit to be easier on him. "My mom an' uncle know it, but I ain't one for givin' speeches. But I'll be damned if I ain't sayin' somethin' for Pyrrha today."

"Auron…" Kathy said from her seat with a smile, but the tone of her voice gave him chills.

"Sorry mom," He apologized with a grin, causing the crowd to chuckle a bit, "I knew Pyrrha way back in Sanctum. A lot o' y'all might remember me as _'the one that couldn't get the job done' f_ rom when we fought tooth an' nail in those last fights all those times. We started a bond from all that an' after all the times we got to hang out an' talk, I considered her as another sister. I finally got to see her again two years ago when I got here. It was almost like old times… then the invasion happened an' she got taken from us…" He gave a sad smile as he looked at his right arm, seeing his now ever-present armguard.

"A few months before that, my dad died an' my uncle lost his leg. All that happened too fast… It took me a few months before I could even stay calm whenever Pyr's name was mentioned. I got my armor to honor her with," He gave a glance back to Jaune and smiled, "Care to join me for a minute?" Jaune nodded nervously and steeped forward. Auron lowered the microphone down to its original height for Jaune.

"An' Jaune… he's got a spear in her name. She came here to get away from all the fame an' attention. This guy didn't even know who she was," He gave a grin and Jaune looked down. Auron placed a hand on his shoulder as he gave a short sigh, "But that's what she loved about 'im. Someone who wouldn't like her for her talent or her fame, but for her person. She fell in love with that… But she never got a fair chance to tell 'im."

"We all hold her in our memory in some way," Jaune looked back up with tears in his eyes, "From me, Auron, Ruby, Ren, and Nora. We all have something to remember her by. In our initiation, she told me something. ' _For it is in passing that we achieve immortality_.' She'll always be in our hearts."

"I'm gonna add onto that," Auron said and glanced at Preacher, "There's somethin' I heard from an old Ranger at my dad's funeral. ' _One day, a man's heart beats its final beat. His lungs breath a final breath. An' if what that man did in his life made the blood pulse through the bodies of others, then his essence, his spirit, will be immortalized…_ '" He closed his eyes and opened them back up to find them blurry with new tears. He looked to Preacher and his mother and they were both smiling with tears in their eyes. He looked to Epirus and Helena and saw much of the same expressions.

He grabbed hold of the pendant resting on his chest and smiled, "By beatin' me in those tournaments, she caused me to train harder an' harder. Because o' her, I'm here standin' tall with all o' these people on this stage. She was a great friend an' a better person… She was taken from us way too soon." He finished and everyone clapped as he and Jaune went to their seats.

Ozpin walked back to the microphone with a smile. "She left behind truly caring friends…" He said quietly, then he raised his voice back to normal. "Now, I understand that teams consist of four students. Ever since I was rescued, I have thought it over and over about the situation with JNPR. I have decided that they will not be getting a new team member. After what they had been through and what she had done, no one can replace Ms. Nikos on their team," He glanced back at JNR and smiled toward them, then turned back to the crowd.

"These young men and women risked and gave their lives for this kingdom. They gave their blood, sweat, and tears. They all have my gratitude and could easily be considered as fully fledged Hunters for what they have accomplished, but they will still have to attend school," He said with a grin, then shook his head.

"I believe it is almost time to bring this to a close, so I will give these final words. I have been at the head of this school and kingdom for years and have never witnessed a class of students such as these. After everything that's happened with Cinder Fall and her cohorts and the Dragon, and the effect that she had on the kingdoms with what she accomplished, I must say this one thing. It is time for us to stop learning from those that would teach us to hate…" Ozpin glanced back at Glynda, then looked back to the front.

"I believe that after this… I will retire. From being Headmaster, at the very least." He said and drew surprised mutters from the assembled crowd and a gasp from his assistant, "I have been the Headmaster of this school for years upon years and have witnessed many events take place, and witnessed countless individuals grow and fall. I believe I have done my part in this world by raising our defenders, but it is time for me to pass this on…"

"I believe this is a new era in Beacon's history and it needs someone else to raise new generations of Hunters. I would like for my assistant Glynda to take my place and become Headmistress," He said and Glynda was shocked, he glanced back again and smiled, "But I will finish this day out. With the activation of this new CCT tower, I officially declare Vale and Beacon to be reclaimed." He said finally as the crowd roared in applause for the history-making moment. Ironwood stepped up and placed his hand on Ozpin's shoulder and nodded to him.

He walked forward and called for everyone to calm down. "I'll admit, it is a shock to hear my old friend is retiring, but he has lived his life well and fulfilled everything he has set out to do. Now he only has to deal with the old bones in the councils, myself included," He said to another round of applause, "Now, at this time, I would like to officially recognize one team, specifically one person. Jace Reznor and team JKDW, would you kindly step forward?" Ironwood requested and the team quickly stood and walked forward.

"This team has been through so much. They put an end to the Crimson Lance threat in Anima, saving the lives of countless people in the process," The crowd cheered for the fact that the Crimson Lance had been put down, "That is the reason for three of them to step forward and be recognized. You three may return to your seats," Auron, Alyss, and Raine bowed their heads and sat back down as Ironwood placed his hand on Jace's shoulder.

"And this boy, Jace Reznor, has been through even more. And what started it all was him being kidnapped two years ago. He and his adoptive brother were taken and experimented on, but they put an end to them for good and it will never happen again. Sadly, his brother Genesis is no longer with us, but Jace was able to persevere out of sheer determination and made it here, transferring to Beacon and starting his life over," The crowd clapped and cheered loudly for Jace from finally hearing the news of who stopped those kidnappings, "Jace, if you'd like to say something, you may."

Jace nodded and stepped forward as he stared at the crowd. "Thank you sir. I don't want to bore any of you and take away from what this day was for, but there's a lot things I want to say and a lot of people I want to thank," He said and the crowd clapped for him, urging him to continue. He looked into the cameras and around the crowd as he took a deep breath.

"Two years ago in March, my adoptive brother and I were kidnapped and experimented on, like the General said. What we saw and felt was horrible. We… w-we umm…" Jace choked up from remembering what they did. He truly wanted to keep it to himself, but it was his chance to give countless families closure. He would _not_ deny them that.

"T-there were other people that were experimented on too. It was really horrible. Some were crystallized from the experiments and some were badly disfigured. We went and we… we gave them peace from that hell," He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, then opened them back up to find them blurry with tears, "I hope you can understand what we did. It was hard on me for the longest time. It still is whenever I think about it. And I'm… I'm not really a Faunus… Part of the experiments was them putting Faunus DNA in me. It gave me everything of a Faunus. The senses, the instincts… and after about a year, I grew these ears…" He said and pointed to the ears on his head.

"I've said this so much, but I don't mind that I got the ears. I just hate _how_ I got them. We escaped and met the people that saved my life. Team RWBY and Doctor Oobleck. Then after that… me and Genesis were caught in a clearing by an army of mercenaries. We fought them but they killed Gen. After that, I found and killed the man that took us, and that put an end to the kidnappings…" That caused the crowd to erupt in cheers for the news once more, all except for a few.

Jace let it die down as he bowed his head. "If you had any family members that were taken back then, then I'm so sorry for what happened to them. I hope you can have a bit of closure for them now…" He said and the crowd quieted completely, "My right arm was burned horribly and I lost my left arm during that. What you see is a prosthetic that the General had made specifically for me out of gratitude for what happened. I owe him and team RWBY and Doctor Oobleck so much for what they've done for me…"

"I don't know if you've heard of this legend or not, or if you even believe it, but while I was walking away from that place I was attacked by Beowulves. With one arm and being completely exhausted, I would've died there if it wasn't for a One-Winged Angel that saved me," There were murmurs of disbelief going through the crowd, as Jace figured there would be. He sighed and looked around at them all.

"I told you you might not believe it. But I was taken from Forever Fall to Patch and Ruby and Yang took care of me with their dad's help. I'm grateful to them all for that. After that, I was brought here and put in a hospital. I spent a few days in that silence and I thought over everything that happened. Ozpin stopped by and accepted me into Beacon and gave me a tour the next day."

Jace gave a smile for that time and the day that came after. "The day after the tour, I met two people that were going to be my teammates. One of them made me realize that there wouldn't be beauty in the world without a bit of ugly," He joked and Auron broke out laughing in his seat, along with Preacher in the front of the crowd. Auron's mother and sister shook their heads and smiled as Kathy laid her hand on Preacher's arm to calm him down. Jace let the chuckles of the crowd die down and opened his mouth to speak again.

"In all honesty, I was glad to meet someone else that was in Vale for the first time. He shot a knife out of a guy's hand that attacked me. I mean seriously, who attacks someone that has one arm?" He asked with a laugh and shook his head.

"Then after that I went to shop for clothes…" Jace smiled widely and looked back to Alyss, then motioned for her to step forward with him. She smiled back and quickly stood next to him again and he took her hand. "I met the most wonderful girl I've ever met in that shop. She helped me look for clothes and healed my burns out the kindness in her heart."

"I told you I _was_ human. I didn't want to lie about that… Maybe part of me still is… And yes, we're together. Now… a lot of you might look at our relationship and think it shouldn't happen, and that it isn't right for a Faunus and a human to be together. I _don't_ care. As far as I'm concerned after all of that, I'm part Faunus… I'm not going around saying I've always been Faunus, so I'll always say that," He sent a probe of his aura toward Alyss and she met his halfway, both feeling their love for each other. Jace smiled as he looked at her.

"She's made me the happiest I've ever been and I can't thank her enough. I'll say it right now that if it wasn't for her, I honestly wouldn't be here. Then… then there was the Vytal Tragedy…"

"I was put into a coma for a few months while everyone else dealt with the aftereffects of it all. I woke up and she was the first person I saw. After that, I trained and got better and we went to Patch to help our friend. I met Alex on the ship going there, then we went to Mistral. After a few months, we put an end to the Crimson Lance by killing their leader. Me, Auron, and Alyss had something to fight for against him. He's the one that started the kidnappings and he killed Auron's father. One of their members killed Alyss' mom…"

"We rested and came back to Vale after that and we trained with all the students that came back. We trained for a month and a half until the Dragon started twitching. We all fought for this kingdom… _Our_ home. We fought for this school against the Grimm and Cinder. We won," He said that and everyone cheered again.

"All the people I want to thank… good Oum I can't thank a lot of them enough. First off, I want to thank Michael and Liza for finally working on improving themselves and helping when we needed it. I want to thank Tyr and Ashe for being the kind people I thought they would be. I want to thank Qrow for helping me in the forest and I want to thank General Ironwood for helping me with my prosthetic. I want to thank Doctor Seabolte in Atlas for giving me feeling back in my left arm…"

"I want to thank team RWBY and Doctor Oobleck again for saving my life. I want to thank JNPR and CFVY for welcoming me. I want to thank Ozpin for giving me another chance. I want to thank Alex for accepting me as his brother. I want to thank my team for sticking with me and helping me through one of the hardest times in my life. I want to thank my adoptive father for taking me in off the streets when I was eight and giving me a second chance at life. I want to thank my brother Genesis for sticking by my side and promising I would never be alone again,"

Jace took a deep breath as he looked to the sky with his eyes starting to sting again. "Lastly… I want to thank Alyss. The girl that I love so much. She helped me through _the_ hardest time in my life after Genesis and dad died. I'll… I'll admit that when I woke up in the hospital, I thought about just… ending it. I lost everything and I honestly didn't think it could get better… I lost everyone a cared about back then…" He said and looked down as his eyes stung more. He felt Alyss grip his hand and he looked to her. She looked at him with tears in her eyes and smiled.

He calmed down and turned back to the crowd. "Something in my head one night made me stop and think. I'm the last remnant of my family and if I killed myself there, then that would kill the last bit of soul that my family has here. I have the color of their eyes from their aura coming to me. It would've kept me from meeting Alyss and the ones I consider family now…"

"Gods I've dragged this on," Jace shook his head and gave a smile, "I just wanted to get all of that off my chest and I'm sorry if it put you to sleep. That's most of what I have to say, and there's two things I've heard that really helped and I think can help anyone that's going through a rough time. One thing is from a song I heard when I first woke up from the coma. ' _Sometimes, darkness can show you the light_.' That fits pretty well with everything that happened with us."

"The other is something my dad said a long time ago. ' _Don't stare too long into the sun that you forget the rest of the sky._ ' That helped me so much with everything that I want everyone to hear it. Now that… that's all I have to say. Sorry it took so long… Thank you." He stepped back and the crowd cheered and clapped, along with most of the ones on the stage. Jace and Alyss went back to their seats as Ozpin stepped back up to the podium.

"I am honored to have students such as these. No matter what this group of people have done in the past, or what feelings they have had for one another, they all came together to bring this kingdom back into our grasp. From this day forward, all of these people, these Faunus and humans, shall be given the title of _Hero of Vale…_ " At that, everyone cheered and clapped loudly for all that were assembled on the stage. Ozpin gave a smile and let it settle down, which didn't happen for another minute.

After the cheers settled, Ozpin spoke again. "This will bring an end to the ceremony. I will say that it has been my honor to serve as the Headmaster of Beacon Academy. I would like to once again thank these people for all they have done for this kingdom. We are all in their debt."

The ceremony was finished with those words and the cheers came even louder. Ironwood stepped up and shook Ozpin's hand as everyone filed off the stage. Ruby, Yang, and Qrow went to where Tai stood to talk with him. JNR went over to where Pyrrha's parents were and they both grabbed them all in a tight embrace. As soon as Auron stepped off the stage, his mother came up to him and hugged him tightly.

"I'm so proud of you, Auron." She said and he hugged her back with one arm.

He grinned and looked between her and Preacher. "It's been a ride, that's for sure. An' we ain't even started classes yet." He said to her and she stepped from him.

"I'm proud of ya too, bud," Preacher said to him with a grin, "I'm sure Smoke is too."

"Same here." Gail added.

"Thanks," Auron smiled back as Jace and Alyss stepped off the stage and stood next to Auron, "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them." He said and nodded toward his team.

"I feel the same way." Jace agreed with him.

"All o' you kids got my respect for what you did." Preacher said and hugged each of them.

Gail stepped forward and hugged them as well. "Thanks for looking after Auron. He hasn't been too much trouble has he?"

"No, he's behaved." Jace said with a grin.

"It's been great having Auron on the same team." Alyss said.

Preacher laughed and stepped back from them. "You mean you like havin' this lazy boy around?"

"You're callin' me lazy?" Auron asked with a chuckle, "You're the one that sleeps in a chair every chance ya get."

"He has you there Preacher." Kathy said with a grin.

"I… Shut it, Auron." Preacher crossed his arms and shot him a mock glare as Raine and Vivi came up to them.

"An' you two are a thing now?" Preacher asked the two as he noticed their hands clasped together.

"For a few months now. I think what Jace said is really true." Raine said with a smile.

"How so?"

"Well, in the darkness of the fight we were going into, me and Vivi found out that we love each other," Raine smiled and leaned up to kiss Vivi on the cheek, "That light made me fight harder to make sure we all made it."

"It made this one fight harder so we can have that happiness." Vivi stated with a happy grin.

"That's good. I seen you two hangin' out a lot a the Gatherin' a few years ago an' it's about time." Preacher answered as he gave them a smile.

"And you're mated too!" Emowyn ran up and wrapped them both in a hug, "My lil' sis… mated already with the love of her life," She stepped back and gave a teary smile, "I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks Em." Raine said.

"What's this about my little niece being mated?" A man with long dark-red hair extending down to his lower back asked as he walked up to them all. His dark violet eyes twinkled merrily and his red and white fox tail swayed back and forth behind him as he stood next to them, "What did I miss up in Atlas?"

"Hey uncle Gilan!" Raine greeted her uncle with a hug.

"Hey little pup. Growin' up on ol' Halt?"

"Oh shut it, Gil," Halt said as he stepped off the stage, "I'm as old as you."

"You're older by five minutes. Still older," Gilan grinned and turned back to the mated Faunus, "Be sure to take care of each other."

"Trust me, Gilan," Vivi smiled, "This one wil do everything it takes to make sure her little fox is taken care of."

"Same with my big kitty." Raine added.

"And you both have pet names too," Halt grinned and gave a sigh, "My little pup is growing up on me. I couldn't be happier for you Raine.

Auron grinned at the fox family's interactions as he turned back to his own. "That reminds me…" He said and looked past them to see Shyla standing a ways away from them, "I got someone for you guys to meet."

Preacher followed Auron's gaze as he noticed the smile. He saw who Auron was smiling at and gave a grin. "Ain't growin' up on us too are ya?"

Auron didn't give an answer as Shyla ran up to him and hugged him. Auron hugged her tightly and she turned to face them. "Umm. Hello." She greeted Auron's family.

"Hello. And who are you?" Kathy asked her with a smile.

As Auron introduced his girlfriend to his family, Jace and Alyss walked away from everything and stood under a tree that casted deep shade under it. Halfway to their destination, they heard a call from behind them.

"Aly! Hey!"

They turned around and Alyss smiled widely at the person that walked toward them. He had black hair that was medium-length, parted evenly under a blue bandanna he wore. Two long, floppy ears came through at the top of the bandanna and were perked up as much as they could be, still down over his normal ears. He wore a pair of blue jeans and dark-brown shirt. He and Alyss hugged each other tightly and separated.

"It's really good to see you again, Zack." Alyss said and stood next to Jace again.

"You too, Alyss. Gods, after I heard what happened in Vale I was so worried something might've happened to you. And when you told me what happened to your mom and what you had to do and what happened two months ago… Oum I'm so happy you're alright."

"It's okay. I've been able to get through it."

"Thats good to hear. You're too strong of a girl to let all of that get you down for long," Zack said with a grin, then looked to Jace, "And I bet he helped with that, too."

"Yeah, he really has," Alyss said and smiled up at Jace, "Zack, this is Jace. My mate."

"Nice to meet you, Zack," Jace greeted him, "She helped me with a lot too."

"From what all you said, you needed it. Good to meet you too," Zack smiled and nodded, "I'm glad she met someone she wanted to be mated with."

"And… what do you think about me growing ears?"

"Don't worry about what I think. You got the ears, you said you got the senses and instincts and you were able to give Alyss a mark… You're honestly as much a Faunus as me."

"That's what our friend said when I told her." Jace smiled, glad the teen didn't think anything bad of him.

"Plus you're both cat Faunus. You look cute together."

"Thanks, Zack," Alyss said, "I would've liked to meet your girlfriend. I wish she could've came."

"Yeah, Sapphire wanted to meet you too but she needed to be with her family in Menagerie. I'm heading there after this so can't stay that long either, but I'm really glad to see you're okay."

"You don't have to worry about me. I've got my family watching my back."

"And I'll always be there for her if she needs it." Jace added.

"That's good. I think I'm gonna get outta here," Zack said and hugged Alyss again, "Hopefully we can hang out sometime."

"That would be great. Bye, Zack." Alyss said and the dog Faunus left them.

"So, that was your old friend? He seems like a nice guy." Jace said and they walked to the tree they saw before.

"He is. He's been training to be a Huntsman too. He uses a pair of small tomahawks."

"Maybe if they have another tournament, then we can fight him if his team qualifies." Jace said with a smile.

"I hope they do have more tournaments. It's tradition." Alyss said as they arrived under the shade of the tree.

They watched as everyone talked with each other. "So, it's finally done completely now." Alyss said after a moment.

"Yeah. Finally…" Jace answered quietly while most of the civilians filed out from the area.

"I kinda wish Ozpin wasn't retiring," He said as he saw the Headmaster standing on the stage, talking with Ironwood and Glynda, "I guess I'll do my best in school to pay him back."

"I think that would be what he'd want." Alyss answered and wrapped her arms around his waist from the side.

"I wonder if this is what graduation will be like." Alyss said as she noticed Kathy hug Shyla.

"Probably," Jace said and smiled as he thought of the future, "That's gonna be more… I guess bittersweet is the word for it." He answered her.

"Because of the goodbyes?"

Jace nodded and sighed. "That and remembering the good times we'll have. I honestly wouldn't mind staying here for the rest of my life. Just learning and hanging out with my friends." He sighed again as he noticed his eyes start to blur at the thoughts.

"It's not like we won't see them again." Alyss said and craned her head up to kiss his cheek.

"I know… but it's just that it won't be often we get to."

They looked and noticed Jax walking up to them, hand-in-hand with a woman with long, burnt-orange hair and long ears of a wolf. She wore blue jeans, a pair of black heels and a green, sleeveless, low-cut blouse. They saw the mark on her shoulder, a long, thin dragon wrapping around six orbs. She held her large stomach with her other hand as the two walked closer. She was pregnant.

"Hey Jax." Jace greeted.

"Hello," Jax greeted back, then turned to Alyss with a smile, "I have someone that wants to meet you, Alyss."

"You want to meet me?" Alyss asked the woman.

She nodded and smiled. "Yes, I do. I'm Kyla Seiber. Jax's mate."

"Well it's nice to meet you." Jace said.

"You too. Alyss, I want to thank you for healing his eye and his scar."

"You didn't have to heal my eye at all," Jax smiled and held Kyla's hand tighter, "I would've been fine with only using my left eye. But you were kind enough to heal it even though you barely knew me."

"You really don't have to thank me…" Alyss bowed her head to them, "I just want to help people."

"I think we all realize that." Jace said softly and smiled.

"Jax told me about the other people you helped too," Kyla said, "Jace, Auron, Raine, all those people when that breach happened. And what he was told happened two months ago where you kept those people from being hurt."

"I wish I was here to help you as well." Jax sighed.

"It's okay, Jax. You didn't have to, I don't hold anything against you for not being here," Alyss assured him, "You were with the person that needs you the most."

Kyla smiled as she reached her arms out to hold Alyss by the shoulders. She pulled her in for a hug and Alyss hugged her back softly. "You're such a sweet girl."

"It's what everyone keeps telling me. Congratulations on your baby."

"Thank you… We've actually been thinking on a name for her."

"It's a girl?" Jace asked.

"Yes, we are having a daughter," Jax confirmed with a smile, "We… we have been stuck on a name. And it was Kyla's idea… but, we would want to know…" He hesitated out of nervousness and Kyla placed her hand on his arm.

"Alyss, we… would like for you to name her." Kyla finished for him, leaving Alyss and even Jace completely stunned.

"Y-you… want _me_ to name her?" Alyss asked in shock and they nodded their heads. "I-I don't… You barely know me, though. I don't deserve to be the one to name your baby," She said as she shook her head quickly, "I can't…"

"There is no one as caring and kind as you that we would want to give our child her name." Jax said and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"T-that would mean… I would be her godmother… wouldn't it?" Alyss asked quietly.

"It's okay, Alyss. We really want you to." Kyla assured her."

"I… okay…" Alyss said and started to think.

"Judging by the pressure we have in our shoulders, you two are mated as well?" Jax smiled as he asked the question.

"Yeah. It feels really good, Y'know?" Jace answered him.

"It truly does. Having another's soul blending with your own… It is wonderful."

"And you were able to give a mark of your own?" Kyla asked.

"The Faunus DNA in me let me do it. It changed so much with me like I said. Alyss warned me about the human-Faunus mating problems, but it wasn't really a normal situation." Jace explained.

"That's good, then," Kyla said with a smile. "From what you said on stage, you deserve the happiness."

"Thank you. It's been a long road to get here, I'm glad to finally see things be peaceful again."

"How about… Star?" Alyss spoke up quietly.

"Star?" Jax echoed with a smile.

"Yeah… I mean, going by your marks, that name would match your mark…" Alyss looked at Kyla nervously, "And his mark just goes so well with yours. So I think Star would be a good combination of both your marks…"

"I believe… I believe that is a wonderful name for her." Jax said.

"D-do you really think so?" Alyss asked.

"I think it's beautiful," Kyla said and rubbed her stomach, "I don't think we would've been able to come up with a name as nice as that."

"Oh my Oum… I'm honored that you wanted me to name her." Alyss said as she started to cry tears of happiness.

Kyla stepped forward and hugged her lightly. "And I'm glad we chose you."

"I think it's a good name too." Jace said to Jax.

"Yes… I'm glad we asked her as well."

The two women stepped from each other and Alyss wiped at her eyes. "Let me know when she's born."

"We will. You'll be the first to know." Kyla replied, then the two made their way to talk with the other Rangers.

"I can't believe they wanted me to name her," Alyss said after a few moments, "All I did was heal Jax's eye…"

Jace put his arm around her shoulders and smiled. "Their reason was a good one. You're the most selfless and caring person I know."

Alyss laughed a small bit and sniffled. "Says the one who's glad he got kidnapped to keep four others from the same thing." She said lightly.

"Yeah… I definitely am."

After a few moments of standing in silence, Alyss noticed three people coming up to them and smiled. "Hey guys. How are you?" She asked Caitlyn, Mabari, and Jack.

"We're good," Mabari answered her, "I didn't expect Ozpin to be retiring. You never know what'll happen."

"Yeah, but at least it's going to good hands." Jace said with a small smile.

"Did an Angel really help you?" Jack asked in wonder.

Jace nodded and smiled. "Yeah, he really did. There was no other way I could've got from Sanus to Patch."

Caitlyn stepped forward and placed a hand on Jace's shoulder. "We understand what you did in that place. You gave them peace."

Jace sighed and smiled a bit more. "Thanks Caitlyn."

"Trust me, you might have to make more decisions like that in the future," Mabari said, "Just remember to follow your own instinct and listen to your team. Remember what makes you _you_."

"Thanks, I'll always remember that. I just hope I can be a good leader."

Mabari laughed and shook his head. "Don't worry about that. They trust you and you trust them. Just always discuss your decisions with them. That problem almost ruined my team a long time ago."

"And you _are_ a good leader, sweetie." Alyss told him.

Jace smiled and nodded. "I'll definitely keep it in mind. Thanks." He looked past them to see a few people looking at him nervously. After a moment, they noticed him looking back at them and started to come forward.

"I… I hope they can understand everything." He said as his ears pressed against his skull.

"It'll be okay, Jace," Alyss assured him, "They don't look angry or anything." As they came closer, Jace could see tears in their eyes.

"H-hello." A boar Faunus woman with tusks protruding from her jaw greeted him.

"H-hey." Jace greeted nervously.

A man stepped forward and looked at Jace with sadness in his eyes. "So you… you were kidnapped?" He asked.

"Y-yeah. I was." Jace answered.

"S-so was my… my son." The man said and Jace looked down.

The woman spoke again and wiped at her eyes as she clutched her shoulder with her other hand. "My mate was too. I… I c-couldn't find his mark… It hurt so much…"

"My brother…" The deer Faunus man of the small group said.

"I'm so sorry for what happened to them… to everyone there." Jace said quietly, in barely a whisper as his eyes started to sting.

"And everyone was used for experiments? Including you?" The woman asked.

"Y-yes." Jace answered.

The human man took a deep breath to steady himself. "And they… were all deformed or crystallized? And you ended their suffering?"

Jace nodded slowly and feared what they might say.

"Thank you, then."

Jace raised his gaze to theirs and saw their tears. "You're… thanking me?"

"We had a lot of time to think. You said they were suffering… and they were disfigured by the experiments. No matter how much we loved and missed them, we we wouldn't have wanted them to suffer," The boar Faunus said to him, "You gave us closure and peace."

The human placed his hand on Jace's shoulder and gripped firmly. "You did the right thing." He assured Jace.

"T-thank you," Jace replied and looked at them, "If you guys are really content with it, then I can be at peace with what we did."

"We don't blame you. Not one bit."

Jace nodded and breathed deeply, then he met their gazes. "I promise I'll make sure nothing like that happens to anyone else. I don't want anyone going through that hell again. Never again."

 **XxXxX**

 **Here's the ceremony. I know Jace talked a lot but he did have a lot to get off his chest and talk about with the entire world. Mainly about the other people in that facility so long ago. We heard some things from Jax, Alex, Michael and Liza, Tyr, Auron and Jaune, Blake and Banesaw, and Ironwood. Everyone that had something to say was able to get it off their chest in front of the world.**

 **And Ozpin is retiring, not hard to see why. He's seen things.**

 **Okay, so, if no one has figured it out, I'll tell you who originally said Preacher's speech at Smoke's funeral. The one about immortality. That was The Ultimate Warrior. It's an impactful speech. In case you don't know it and would like to know, he was a professional wrestler back in the 80's and 90's. He left the then-WWF in bad blood. A few years ago, he and the WWE buried the hatchet and they inducted him into their hall of fame at Wrestlemania. The next night on Monday Night Raw, he gave that speech. What makes it so impactful is that just a day or so later, he died of a heart attack. It was so weird for him to finally come back and be on good terms with them again, then give that speech, and then pass away. Honestly, it was like that was the one last thing he wanted to do. To make peace with them. Then when he did, then that was it. That was his last wish, to be able to bury that hatchet with them after so long. It was a hell of a speech. I didn't grow up watching him compete, but I always respect the fact that two sides can come together after years of not speaking to one another.**

 **We have a couple more chapters and then the epilogue. See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	75. Chapter 74: Through it All

**Through It All**

Everyone that had come together to take back Beacon, along with their loved ones, gathered in the cafeteria for a special dinner. Jace and his team sat on one side of a table as RWBY and JNR sat across from them. Epirus and Helena sat on one side of Jaune as Ren and Nora sat on the other side of him. Tai and Qrow sat with Ruby and Yang, with Qrow teasing Yang and Ruby about who they ended up with. Winter sat next to Weiss and bantered with Qrow over the fact that Weiss was with Yang now as Weiss blushed. Tai just laughed and hugged his daughters when he found out, just glad that they were safe, sound, and happy.

Emowyn and Halt sat on either side of Raine and Vivi. They were happy that Raine found someone to love. Gilan sat on Halt's other side as he asked over the table what products Yang used for her hair, equally as happy. The three fox Faunus knew that Vivi could be trusted and they refrained from being any type of protective over Raine. Preacher and Kathy sat on either side of Auron and Shyla, with Kathy sitting next to Shyla so she wasn't as nervous and Gail sat next to Kathy.

Jax sat on one side of Alyss while Jace sat on the other. Kyla sat on the other side of Jax. Mabari, Caitlyn, and Jack sat on the other side of Jace. Team APCT and Michael and Liza sat at another table near them and talked quietly with one another. Will and Vaas had to leave to take care of separate things and Ozpin, Glynda, Ironwood, Oobleck, Port, and Banesaw all sat at the head of another table. Connor and Alex was speaking with Ozpin and Glynda. They all had finished their food rather early and were just sipping on their drinks and chatting with each other.

"I wish Gen and dad were here to meet you guys." Jace said as he looked up from his drink.

"I feel the same way," Auron said and glanced around at his team, "I think dad would like all o' you too."

"Same with mom." Alyss said.

"Alyss, we have also been thinking about something else." Jax said quietly to the girl at his side.

"What is it?" She asked, hearing his nervousness.

"We can tell you after this is over. It's not a topic that's right for right now." Kyla said, matching her mate's nervousness.

"Okay. When you're ready."

"Hey Auron," Ruby said through Qrow and Winter's bantering, "You're dating a weapon designer?"

Auron smiled and put his arm around Shyla's shoulder. "Yep! I figured you'd like to meet her, but…"

"With what happened with Alyss and those Grimm, it was a bad time before and we never got the chance to really talk." Yang finished for him.

"Right," Ruby said, "So we can maybe start over. I'm Ruby Rose!" Ruby greeted all over again.

Shyla gave a grin. "I'm Shyla Lynn. Nice to meet you too. Are those parts still working right for your scythe?"

"They are! I mean, I clean them regularly and oil them but they're still holding up awesomely!"

"That's good to hear." Shyla smiled.

"You need to hear about what she told us." Alyss remarked.

"Oohh! What is it?" She asked excitedly.

"Well, basically everyone here are Hunters, so I guess it couldn't hurt." Shyla said with a smile and Ruby leaned forward over the table.

"I think you just made a friend for life." Blake said and reigned Ruby in by holding her hand.

"Four things can get to Ruby's heart," Yang said and brought four fingers up to count down on, "Cookies, strawberries, weapons, and Blake. _Especially_ Blake."

Ruby looked from Yang to Blake, then smiled. "She's not wrong."

"Don't get carried away, now," Auron said with a laugh, "Shyla still has that secret."

"Oh yeah! What is it?"

"Well, it's caseless ammunition. Since before the tragedy, we've been working with S&S on it." Shyla told her.

"That sounds cool! How'll it work?"

"Burn dust. They'll have a special type of casing to them, but they're made to burn out after the shot and shouldn't jam up your weapon with stuck shells. It should be clean."

"That would be great for _Crescent Rose_. I mean, she doesn't get jammed any at all, but not having to worry about the shells flying out and getting in the way and the really _really_ small chance that she might get jammed would be great. I'm on board!"

"It'll still be awhile for it to get done, but you guys'll be the first to know." Shyla assured them with a smile.

"Y'know, there's a lot o' reasons why I love you," Auron said before he kissed the side of her head, "Main thing is that when you get started, you get so passionate about what you're talkin' about."

Shyla smiled and kissed him on the lips. "Thanks, Auron. That's sweet."

"Oh my Oum can you be more sappy?" Preacher asked sarcastically.

"Hush, you." Kathy said and smacked his arm.

"I'll get as sappy as I please an' you can't do a thing about it!" Auron said with a laugh.

"Hey, a little sap is a good thing." Gilan said with a grin.

"Not when it was always you and your girlfriends way back in school, you mangy dog." Halt remarked.

"Well, at least Raine and Vivi aren't like that." Emowyn commented with a smile.

"Oh Oum you haven't seen them as much as we have." Jace laughed.

"Shut it, Jace." Raine said to him.

"He isn't exactly _wrong_." Vivi admitted.

"Hey, you two can get sappy all you want. You're Rangers for Oum's sake! It'll be rare for y'all to see each other with all the work." Preacher told them.

"Oh, I have a plan for that." Vivi said with a grin and kissed Raine on the side of the head.

Alyss smiled toward them, then she leaned in to whisper something in Jace's ear. He glanced at her with a grin and kissed her, then he looked over to the three dog Faunus. "Hey Jack, sometime after this, you wanna see something cool?"

"Like what?" The boy asked excitedly.

"It's a surprise. I can show you after this dinner is over if Caitlyn and Mabari will let me."

"Can he, dad?" Jack asked the large Faunus.

"Hmm, I think I know what you're getting at… I don't think I ever told you about it, Cait."

"I'm sure it's nothing that'll cause trouble, right? So why not?" His mate replied.

"Well, Jack… Ask your mother." Mabari grinned at the mock glare Caitlyn gave him.

"Can I?" Jack asked his mother this time.

"Yes, you can. I guess I'll go see it too." Caitlyn smiled.

"Shyla could come too," Jace said to Auron, "I'm sure she'd wanna see."

"Yeah, I'm hearing a lot about it so I'm curious." Shyla said.

"We can go in a few minutes," Jace said and stood up, "I need to talk to Ironwood." He quickly made his way over to where the teachers, Banesaw, Connor and Alex sat.

"Ah, hello Mr. Reznor. Are you enjoying yourself?" Ozpin asked as Jace arrived to them.

Jace nodded and smiled. "I really am. I'm still surprised that you're retiring though." He said and Ozpin nodded his head as well.

"I truly believe with this new generation of Huntsmen, it needs a new Headmaster. A Headmistress in this case," He said and glanced over to Glynda, "Although if I may, I will return periodically to check up on everyone."

"If I do become Headmistress, you will always be welcomed back." Glynda said to him.

"Thank you, Glynda."

"What did you need with these two, anyway?" Jace asked and looked to Connor and Alex.

"Well…" Alex started and rubbed the back of his neck, "You'll be getting a new classmate."

"Wait… do you mean…?"

"I offered a place in Beacon for your brother," Ozpin answered, "I honestly thought that I would need to fight with Mr. Stone over it, but he agreed without a second thought."

"He started the work, now he's gotta finish it." Connor said with a grin.

Alex turned to Connor and nodded. "Thanks for taking me in on your ship, Connor."

"You should thank your older brother there," Connor pointed to Jace, "If it wasn't for him an' his team comin' to those docks, we wouldn't have met."

"Hey, you don't have to thank me either." Jace said with a grin.

"What brings you over here, Jace?" Ironwood asked after a moment.

"I'd like to ask if I can go to Atlas for a bit with my team," Jace started and felt the need to explain, "I'd like to go visit dad and Gen. And I think that the others would want to go to help them relax for a bit."

"Oh, can I go too?" Alex asked, "I'd like to go and visit your family's headstones."

"Yeah, of course you can go. You're family too." Jace said with a smile.

"When would you like to leave?" Ironwood asked.

"In a couple days. It'll give things time to settle down after today."

Ironwood nodded quickly. "Alright then. You can meet with Viktor when you are all ready."

Jace smiled and bowed his head. "Thank you sir."

"You don't have to thank me. As I understand it, classes will start within four to five months. It will give time for all the students to return here. You five will need the relaxation."

Jace nodded again and turned to Glynda. "I can't wait to actually go to the classes."

"I believe you may be one of the first." Glynda replied and Jace walked back to the others.

"YOU LET THEM FIGHT THE DRAGON!?" Tai yelled at the top of his lungs and made Jace nearly trip.

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING, QROW!?"

"To be fair, I was against it." Qrow admitted with a grin.

* * *

JKDW, Jax, Caitlyn, Mabari, Jack, Shyla, Jax, and Kyla stepped out of the cafeteria and walked toward the courtyard. Even Tai joined them, having grown curious after hearing so much about Jace's wings that he just had to see it for himself. Jace led them with a grin at wondering what the reactions would be. Alyss was by his side, wondering what Kyla and Jax wanted to talk with her about. They both felt curiosity radiate from the small part of group, and even more came from the smallest part.

Jace and Alyss came to a stop and the others did as well. "Are you gonna show us now?" Jack asked as he stood next to his parents.

"Yeah, don't worry," Jace assured him with a grin. "Alright. Tai, Jack, Shyla, Caitlyn, Kyla, close your eyes."

Tai did as he asked and chuckled. "Last time someone said that to me, Yang was born."

"I don't know you…" Caitlyn said as she closed her eyes, "But I will smack you if you say that in front of my son again."

Tai stopped a laugh in its tracks as he shook his head. "Sorry."

"What is it you're showing us?" Jack asked, "C'mon! Show me!"

"Always an excited little puppy, aren't you?" Caitlyn laughed.

Mabari put a hand on Jack's shoulder. "Just wait, pup. He'll show you."

Jace laughed and took a breath as he prepared himself. He activated his semblance and grinned toward Alyss, who grinned back as she kissed him. "You gonna make them wait?"

"I might. Just to let the curiosity build," He replied "But… That would be mean."

"I think they waited enough." Auron said.

"I think they could wait a bit longer." Raine said with a grin.

"This one agrees with Raine." Vivi said.

"Oh, you just want more kisses, don't you?" Raine cooed silently in Vivi's ear.

Vivi's cat ears twitched a bit as she winked at Raine. " _Maaaaybe_."

"Oh you two are just being mean," Alyss said to them both, "I think you should show them now."

Jace gave it another few seconds and flapped his wings, rising up into the air a few feet. "Yeah, maybe you're right. Okay! Open your eyes!"

Jack was the first one and his eyes widened as his mouth flew open. "Whoa!" Was all he could say at the moment and the others opened their eyes.

"Oh… wow. So that's what you flew up there with." Tai commented.

"That… that may make our decision easier." Kyla said as she rubbed her stomach.

Shyla looked on in shock at the sight. "Oh my Oum… I didn't expect that."

"Neither did I. I don't think anyone could've." Caitlyn added.

"So, that's that," Jace laughed at the reactions, "Trust me, everyone else was just as surprised."

"Well, we was fightin' for our lives back then, so yeah. Pretty surprisin'." Auron said with a small grin.

"How does it feel?" Jack asked.

Jace thought for a moment as he lowered himself back to the ground. "Well, when I'm flying around, it's pretty amazing. But it does tire me out after awhile. Right now, I'm good because of how much I trained with it."

"It has to be so cool to fly like that." Jack said, still in awe.

"It really is."

Most of the group went back into the cafeteria while Jace, Alyss, Jax, and Kyla stayed outside. "What did you want to talk about?" Alyss asked them.

The both of them hesitated as they tried to say what they wanted to say. "Should I go so you can talk to her alone?" Jace asked them.

"N-no… No, this concerns you as well." Jax answered him.

"Well, that's good because I'm still not sure about leaving her side," Now Jace was growing nervous as well, "Take your time."

"We both know that something could go wrong in a mission and… and I may not come back." Jax said lowly.

"And no one really knows what might happen one day after the next," Kyla continued, "Alyss, you've shown that you are so caring. And Jace, you've shown that you would do anything for your friends and family."

"So, we have come to a decision," Jax took a deep breath, "Alyss, you already gave our daughter a beautiful name. And you are her godmother for it. We would…" Jax's nervousness prevented him from continuing and he sighed at it.

Kyla took his hand and rubbed gently with her thumb. "We would like for you both to be her godparents."

That left them both stunned as their eyes went wide. They looked to each other and back at the two Faunus who awaited their response. "Us? You want both of us to?" Jace asked in disbelief.

"Like Jax said, Alyss is so caring and you are so loyal," Kyla said, "If something were to happen to us, we don't want Star to go to an orphanage in Mistral and risk her growing up in a bad home. As much as I love Mistral, I know how dangerous it can be there."

"It's not that we're ungrateful of your choice, but… why us?" Alyss asked quietly.

"Because we know you would care for her and be there for her like you already do for your friends. For _each other_ ," Jax answered her, "We know she would be going to the best home for her if we pass on. Our other family members know this as well and they agreed to it. We have thought on it for a long time."

"You want us to be her godparents…" Jace repeated quietly and took a deep breath, "I never would've thought that would happen…" He looked to his mate and she looked back. She smiled at him and they both turned back to Kyla and Jax.

"W-we would be honored to." Jace said to them both.

Kyla and Jax gave sighs of relief and they all embraced in a hug. "Thank you for accepting." Jax said to them.

"I hope it never comes to it, but we'll take care of her if something happens to you both." Alyss said through tears that started to fall.

They all stepped away from each other and Jace smiled. "And we would be sure that your family could see her when they want to."

"You… you don't know how happy we are to hear that." Kyla said to them.

* * *

Team JKDW, Vivi, and Shyla walked slowly through one of Beacon's gardens the next day. Vivi still had a few weeks left to her break and Shyla had taken a vacation period to be able to accompany Auron to Atlas when they went. They stopped and sat in a few lawn chairs that were spread in a small area and enjoyed the cool weather.

"How long are we staying in Atlas when we go?" Alyss asked her mate as she leaned against his chest.

"I think we should stay for a week. It'll give us time to do different things," Jace grinned as he thought of something they could do, "Maybe we could go to that weapon gallery again."

"That would be nice."

"Is it the one that Grant McMahon runs?" Shyla asked them.

"Yeah. Why?" Jace replied.

"I remember him making an offer to order a lot of weapons, parts, and mods and offered to open a shop to sell them. I think they came to an agreement." Shyla answered.

"Huh, I _do_ remember him saying something about a weapon shop," Alyss said after a moment, "We were kinda preoccupied though."

"Ain't that the place where he fired the receptionist or whatever?" Auron asked them.

"Yeah, the person that threatened to kick us out for Alyss being a Faunus." Jace answered and growled quietly as he thought of it.

Alyss turned her head and kissed him. "You got _sooo_ mad at her." She giggled as Jace shook his head.

"I kinda figured that Alyss would be the one to get mad at that," Shyla remarked and quickly realized that it could be taken the wrong way and stuttered, "N-not that I don't think you should be defensive for her! It's just that since Alyss was the only Faunus at the time then I thought she would be the one getting more angry."

The two smiled and Alyss shook her head. "I told Jace that I really don't care what people think of me just because of my ears."

"She said that people that hate other people just for how they look aren't worth getting mad over." Jace added.

Shyla looked at them both and nodded. "That sounds like a good thing to think."

"It's not gonna stop me from getting annoyed though." Jace said and Alyss kissed him again.

"At least I know what'll calm you down." She grinned as he smiled.

"Hey Vivi, are you going with us to Atlas?" Jace asked the Ranger.

"Yeah, this one will definitely be going," She answered and smiled to Raine, "She'll be spending even more time with her little fox. Plus, she might get to see that place you keep telling us about."

"You'll love it." Raine assured her with a smile.

Auron turned Shyla toward him a bit and kissed her cheek. "I know you will too." He said to her.

She smiled and leaned her head against him. "What's it like?" She asked.

"Really peaceful." He answered her.

Alyss felt her stomach growling and she sat up a bit straighter. "Can we go get something to eat?"

"Yeah, sure," Jace answered and they went to stand, "Anyone else hungry?" He asked the group.

Everyone else stood up from their seats and nodded. They all slowly made their way from the garden to the cafeteria, passing the tower along the way where Glynda and Ozpin were meeting with the council members of Vale, where Vivi and Raine's commandant, Remington, was and where Vivi would be if she wasn't taking full advantage of this break. They all marveled at how different the tower looked now. With its large panes of glass on each floor and how it was mostly white or gray in color, it marked a new era for Vale.

"I still can't believe all of that happened." Jace said and thought back to the tournament.

"Yeah. It's really good to see things get back to normal." Auron said and glanced to the top of the tower.

"And you fell from that?" Shyla asked in disbelief and awe.

Jace nodded his head without glancing back to her. "Yeah. It was really scary, but the worst part was that I wasn't holding _Standoff_ when I was falling."

"It's still just hard to believe."

"You wasn't the one that picked 'im up," Auron shook his head as he thought back to it, "Just seein' my friend like that, then learnin' what happened to Pyrrha… Damn, that was way too much for me."

"At least it's over," Jace said and held his head up, "It's a new day."

They walked on for a bit further before Jace thought of something. "Hey Alyss, you asked if you could fly with me before, right?"

"Yeah, I did." Alyss answered.

Jace activated his semblance and let his wings grow fully from it. "Wanna go?"

"Oh! Sure!" She said excitedly and stepped closer to Jace. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it," Jace replied and turned his attention to the others, "See you at the cafeteria." He said and grabbed Alyss around the waist with his left arm, then he took off into the air with her.

"That was… fast." Shyla remarked as she watched the two fly into the air.

"It really _was_." Vivi agreed.

"You just need to get used to it." Raine said and smiled after Jace and Alyss.

"Just like you'll need to get used to this." Auron said and vanished into smoke, leaving Shyla's arm hanging around nothing.

"Auron! What the hell!?" She exclaimed as Auron re-materialized in front of her.

"Don't worry. I won't do that to you a lot." Auron said with a grin as he stepped forward to hug her.

* * *

"How does it feel?" Jace asked his mate as the two soared through the air over Beacon.

"Oum, this is amazing!" Alyss answered with a wide smile.

"Told you. Flying feels pretty good." Jace said and smiled at hearing the excitement in her voice and feeling the excitement from her mark.

"I never thought I'd be able to fly like this!"

"Same here. Life's pretty weird, isn't it? I mean, I never thought that I would ever have wings or be able to do this, _any_ of this."

"Neither did I. And I never even _dreamed_ I would be mated with someone as great as you."

Jace smiled widely at the words. "There's this song I listened to on my scroll's radio earlier. I think it describes us pretty well. I'll let you listen to it."

"A song that describes us? I don't know what to think about that," She said and her stomach started growling again, "Okay, I think I really need some food now."

"Alright. Let's go." Jace said as he turned around, then flew toward the cafeteria. The two landed on the ground after a few minutes a small ways away and Jace deactivated his semblance. He took his scroll out and his earphones, then handed Alyss one of the buds.

"Are you letting me listen to it now?" She asked.

"Yeah. It lasts for a few minutes so we can walk the rest of the way and listen to it."

She took the bud and put it in her ear. "Okay, that works."

Jace smiled and started the song. It started slow and was surprisingly soft unlike a normal industrial-metal song and took a little while for the lyrics to start.

"It sounds nice so far." Alyss's commented. They arrived at the cafeteria and Alyss' eyes were blurry by the middle of the song.

 _'I've been lost, I've felt ruined inside. Watched it all crumble… In the blink of an eye.'_

"J-Jace…"

"Keep listening." Jace said softly.

 _'You were strong,_ _and so hopeful inside. Saved this fallen one… When I wanted to die.'_

"Alyss… I went through hell and you helped me through it all. Before I met you, I honestly wanted to die," Jace smiled as the two turned to each other, "After all of that and when I met you, you gave me your heart. If it wasn't for you, I would've never forgiven Emerald or Michael or Liza. I learned to forgive. I learned to _forget_ about everything bad when I'm with you. You gave me your _soul_ …" His eyes started to sting as tears fell down his cheeks.

He reached his hand up to his shoulder and felt the area around the mark. "I'm never gonna forget everything you've done for me. Team RWBY might've saved my life… But you saved my _soul_. I'll always be here for you until the day I die."

Alyss was left speechless at what music she heard and what Jace had told her. "Oh Jace…" She said and hugged him, burying her face into his shoulder as tears fell from her eyes. Jace softly wrapped his arms around her and leaned his head against hers.

"I meant it. Every bit of it." Jace said softly and rubbed her back.

She pulled away from him after a moment and reached her hands up to his face. She pulled him close and gave a deep, loving kiss. Jace smiled under it and returned it with passion, showing that he truly meant what he said. Alyss pulled back from him and smiled widely.

"Jace… I'll never forget all you've done for me either." She said and Jace gave a huge smile.

"We've both helped each other a lot. I just wanted to say that… and I wanted to let you know how much I love you." Jace said and pulled her in for another, shorter kiss.

Alyss hugged him lightly and he smiled as he hugged back. "Jace… I love you so much. I'll be here for you too… Until I die."

"I… I think we could go get some food now. Don't you?" Jace asked as his stomach started growling.

"Y-yeah… we should."

They walked into the cafeteria and saw a few students there that had returned, along with APCT, Michael, and Liza, who haven't left yet. They walked past a few students that were deep in conversation.

" _Argh_! Damn it! I wish I was here to make that woman pay for what happened to Barrett." The faded-purple haired girl said in frustration.

"It is a shame he cannot continue his training here," The red-haired girl said quietly, "We have to be thankful he is recovering though. Right, Aulin?"

"Bell's right. And besides," The black-haired wolf Faunus started, "He said he thought about dropping out. I'm not saying it was good that he was hurt, it's just that now he might not have the guilt of leaving of his own will."

The frustrated one, Aulin, sighed. "I know, Inu. I just wish he would've left on his own if he was going to. At least he wouldn't be hurting now."

Jace and Alyss continued on past them. "I want to meet whoever he is." Alyss commented quietly.

"To help him?" Jace asked and she nodded, "I know you do, kitten."

They saw that RWBY were at a table next to the wall with Shyla, Auron, Vivi, and Raine sitting with them. Jace and Alyss walked toward the catering area and waved toward them, who waved back. They got their food and walked over to sit with them.

"Is everything okay?" Ruby asked them, seeing the tears that were still on their cheeks.

Jace smiled and wiped at his eyes. "Oh, yeah, we're fine. We just… I let her listen to a song on my scroll."

"It was a _really_ beautiful song." Alyss continued.

"Must've been really good if it's got you both so emotional." Auron remarked.

"Hmm, it really was." Jace answered.

"So, how are you guys feeling?" Alyss asked RWBY.

"We're okay. We're just preparing for when we go back to class." Blake answered.

Jace glanced over and saw the sword that Ruby had kept of Penny's leaning against the table. "I guess you're keeping that like how I'm keeping this?" Jace asked and touched the hilt of _Standoff_.

She nodded sadly. "I wish Penny was here. She didn't deserve what happened to her. It wasn't Pyrrha's fault."

"That's somethin' I'm real glad that got cleared up quick," Auron said after he took a drink of water, then sighed, "I would've knocked the first person out that called her a murderer."

"This one thinks you can thank Raine for that." Vivi smiled and kissed the apprentice on the cheek.

"That's only because we were there when everything happened. In the arena." Raine bowed her head at the praise.

"What's Emerald been doing anyway?" Ruby asked them.

Jace thought over it and shrugged. "I think they took her back to Mistral to do a few missions there. She's gonna be busy."

"I still don't know if she deserves the chance." Weiss scowled and shook her head, but Yang placed her hand over hers and drew her gaze to her.

"C'mon Weiss. She turned herself in and told us where they were. I honestly think she does even if she put me in a bad light for a while. You're giving Banesaw a chance, right?"

Weiss sighed and glanced away. "I suppose so." She said and smiled just a bit at Yang squeezing her hand.

"She caused the most damage to Jace," Raine stated, "He forgave her."

" _You_ forgave her?" Weiss said in disbelief toward Jace.

He nodded firmly and glanced to Alyss and Auron. "She told us where Hawk was and we went and took them down. It gave us peace."

Weiss' expression lifted as he smirked a bit. "I suppose that's easier to believe than CRDL actually fighting for the school."

"What's wrong with them?" Shyla asked.

"Well, they are a group of slackers, racists, bullies, and egotistical boys," Weiss answered, "They've been an annoyance since we first saw them pick on Velvet. Would that be a good description?" Weiss asked her team, receiving nods from them all except for one.

"What do you think, Ruby?" Weiss asked, but recieved no answer.

"Ruby?" She and looked to Ruby, who looked toward the entrance in shock.

"Oh my Oum!" She yelled out and bolted from her seat, leaving rose petals behind and leaving the group stunned.

They looked to where Ruby ended up and they were stunned further. There, hugging Ruby tightly and pressing her orange hair to the side of her head, was Penny. Behind her were two men, one older man with balding white hair standing next to doctor Seabolte. Seeing him was what caused Jace to rise and walk over. Seabolte saw him and rose his hand in a wave.

Jace arrived at them and Seabolte greeted him. "Hello Jace. Is the prosthetic treating you well?"

Jace nodded quickly. "Yeah, it is. I can't thank you enough for giving me feeling back," He said and looked over to the two girls, "Hey Penny."

Penny stepped away from Ruby and turned to him. "Salutations Jace. Have you been well?" She asked him.

"Yeah, I've been good. I'm just… really surprised." Jace answered.

"H-how can you be here?" Ruby asked, still in complete shock, "I-I-I saw you-"

"It's alright, Ruby. My father and Doctor Seabolte saved me." Penny answered her, then doctor Polendina stepped forward.

"You see, I sent a few men to gather what was left of Penny's old body and we were thankfully able to recover her A.I., then I worked extensively on studying aura."

"Before that, he came to me and asked me to build a body for her," Seabolte took the reigns of the explanation, "I studied the parts and recreated her body and we were able to restore her swords. All except for one, that is."

Ruby's voice caught in her throat as she ran back to where the others where. She was back in a flash of petals and held the sword out to them. "I-I kept one to remember you by." She said to Penny.

Penny held her hands forward and pushed Ruby's hands back. "Ruby. I would be honored for you to keep it. As a gift for your friendship and understanding."

"I… are you sure?"

"I am sure."

Ruby nodded and held the blade to her side. "But what about your aura? Wouldn't that have… disappeared?"

"Ah, as it happens, it did not." Doctor Polendina said, then Jace quickly thought of something.

"Was it in her weapons?" He asked.

The doctor looked at Jace with a curious expression. "It was. How did you guess?"

Jace reached up and touched the hilt of _Standoff_. "My brother's aura is still in this sword. That's how I survived the invasion."

"Hmm. That is interesting," The doctor remarked, "As it turned out, it was not enough to fully act as it was supposed to, so we had to do something different. We gathered and combined different types of dust and fused them with the aura, returning it to its full state."

Ruby came forward and wrapped Penny in another hug. "I'm so happy to see you again."

"I am happy to see you too, Ruby."

"That is the reason we came here," Her father said and smiled, "She told me a great deal about your kindness, Ms. Rose. Of how you didn't mind that she was an android and you thought of her as just as much a human as we are," He smiled widely toward Ruby and turned to regard Jace, "How is it that you know her?"

Jace looked down and rubbed the back of his neck. "I accidentally bumped into her at the fairgrounds before the tournament. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. I didn't even know she was an android until what happened in the tournament.

"Yes, that would cause an accidental greeting," The old doctor chuckled and shook his head, "Thank you for being kind to her."

"I'm kind to everyone. Humans, Faunus… and androids now. If there was a docile Grimm I'd be friendly to it too," Jace smiled, "Unless they either insult or hurt my mate, my friends, or me. In that order."

Doctor Polendina looked to both Ruby and Penny and he smiled. "I believe we should give them time to catch up."

Seabolte grinned and nodded. "I think you're right."

"I'm gonna go back to the others," Jace said and held his hand out to the doctors, "It was good to see you again Seabolte. And it was nice to meet you Mr. Polendina." Jace said as he shook their hands.

"You as well, young man." Doctor Polendina said and Jace turned to go back to the others.

"Oh wait. I know someone you should talk to, Seabolte." Jace said before he left.

"Who would that be?" Seabolte asked in curiosity.

Jace looked around and pointed him out. "Tyr Alexander. He has a prosthetic hand that I'm sure he'd love to feel with again."

Seabolte smiled. "I will talk with him then." He said and walked over toward APCT.

Jace finally turned to walk back to the others. He arrived and sat back down, then took a long drink of his water. He set it down and saw everyone looking at him curiously. He turned to Blake and smiled. "I don't think Ruby'll be back for a while."

"That's Penny," Blake said in disbelief at who Ruby stood with, "How?"

Jace took a deep breath and went to explain it. "They were able to recover her A.I. and her weapons, then Seabolte made a new body. Doctor Polendina worked with the bit of aura left in her swords and combined a lot of dust and amplified the aura again. Then… well, Penny's back."

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: If this was a longer story, or if it was thought out a bit differently, a lot of people would've been here and mixing it up. Penny would've been back and doing more. SSSN would've done more. Flynt and Neon would've been doing a whole lot more than a one-off talk. Hell, Raven probably would've been in it somewhere.**

 **Alyss has carried Jace through it all, across the divide. That song was called _Through It All_ by Device. David Draiman and Glenn Hughes sing that song so well. David's voice is one of my favorites in music and his cover of _The Sound of Silence_ with Disturbed is just fantastic in my opinion.**

 **See you next chapter, and have a nice day!**


	76. Chapter 75: Remnant's Reunion

**Remnant's Reunion**

Team JKDW boarded the _Ravensword_ along with Vivi and Shyla. It wasn't just them though, as they and team APCT, Alex, Michael, Liza, Penny, and Doctors Polendina and Seabolte walked into the flight deck of the ship to meet with Viktor. He heard them coming and turned around, nearly dropping the cigar from his mouth as he stared at the numbers.

He looked at Jace and narrowed his eyes. "Every damn time you get on my ship, you multiply. Quit it." He said and shook his head as he blew smoke from his mouth.

"Good to see you too." Jace said with a grin and try went to find areas to sit.

Since there weren't too many areas within the ship, mostly for crew only, they all sat on benches around the flight deck. Jace read his book as Alyss leaned up against him, drifting off to slumber as she was hardly able to sleep from excitement the night before. Alex sat on Jace's other side and looked over his katana's blade. Auron, for nothing better to do, twirled one of his revolvers around his index finger, periodically tossing it in the air and catching it with the index of his opposite hand. Shyla watched in awe as he effortlessly spun, reversed the spin, tossed, and caught the pistol, unblinking the whole time she observed. Raine sat with Vivi and just talked silently, watching everyone in the flight deck as they conversed.

Jace overheard Michael and Liza talking about different strategies for the two. Tyr talked with Seabolte about his prosthetic, Paige sat against a wall and slept, Ashe sat next to Tyr and had her eyes closed, but was still awake and listening to everything, Terra was standing and shadowboxing, throwing left and right hooks, along with uppercuts, elbows, forearms, and knees, at an invisible opponent. Doctor Polendina sat with Penny, making sure everything with her systems were still doing alright.

Jace finished with the thirteenth chapter of his book when he felt his arm being squeezed. He looked over and saw Alyss staring up at him. "Did you bring your cards?" She asked.

Jace marked his page and nodded. "Wanna play a few games?"

She nodded and they went to sit on the floor. Jace motioned to Auron, Alex, and Raine to come over. "You guys wanna play?" He asked and held out his cards.

"I'm up for it. It'll get the boredom outta the way." Auron replied and he and Shyla sat down.

"Same here," Raine said and sat, followed by Vivi, "And we could take turns with anyone else who wants to play."

"I can wait for a turn. Maybe it'll get my nervousness out of the way." Alex remarked.

Jace shuffled and dealt the cards to all in his team, then they played.

* * *

"Is it always cold in Solitas?" Shyla asked as the group walked from the vehicles and into Jace's home.

"Yep." Jace and Alex answered at the same time.

"If you have clothes with burn dust in them, you'll be good." Alex said.

"At least there's hardly any Grimm here." Raine remarked as she and Vivi took their simple, brown cloaks off.

They all went to sit on the couches while Jace turned on the radio which was still only rock, the only station he could get. "Yeah, this is the only station I get here for some reason."

"I'm not the biggest fan, but it's fine." Shyla said.

"This one doesn't listen to much music anyway, so she doesn't mind either way." Vivi put her arm over Raine's shoulder and sighed happily.

"It's easily my favorite kind." Alex said for himself.

Jace smiled at the song that came on. "Well, here's the song I heard." Jace said as the opening instrumental to _The Light_ played on the radio.

Jace sat down next to Alyss and she leaned against him, remembering the song and the time it played before. "This is actually really fitting for us." She said as she laid her head onto Jace's shoulder.

They listened to the song for a bit, not speaking for several moments until Vivi looked up. "This is a really nice song." She remarked as Raine pushed herself up more against her.

"Not trying to sound really sappy, but…" Jace glanced around at his friends and mate, then smiled, "We all found our lights. Me and Alyss have each other. Then there's Raine and Vivi," He pointed to the Rangers, "Then Auron and Shyla," He pointed toward the gunslinger and weapon designer, "In all that darkness we all went through, we found light. I think I could say that if I could go back and start over… I'd do things the same. Even if it meant getting kidnapped again…" Jace frowned a bit and sighed, "Except I'd pay more attention in that clearing."

Alyss gripped his hand and put him at ease. "I wouldn't think about what could be different. We know it can't be changed."

"I know," Jace admitted and sighed, "I'd try to save Gen and dad, but I'd still give my arm if I had to."

"Trust me, I know how ya feel." Auron said.

"Does me finding my brother count?" Alex asked, "Because if it wasn't for you guys, I probably would've got into some worse stuff."

Jace nodded. "Yeah, we all have something after all that."

They stayed silent for the rest of the song that played. Each of them took solace in the lovers they had and the friends and family that stayed by them. It was a quiet moment that they enjoyed, even though the music kept it from being completely silent. Auron sighed and stood up. "Anyone up for some food?" He asked.

"You remember where everything is?" Jace asked him.

"Yeah. I had to cook for us for a seven months, remember?" Jace nodded and Auron went to the kitchen to prepare a meal for them.

Jace showed Alex around the house while the food was fixed. He showed his brother to the painting in his room and his father's old axe. He had retrieved _Carnage_ from _Titan_ and placed it back on the wall with the axe where it belonged, and he put _Twin Fang_ on another spot on the wall. They went back to the living room and sat down with the others after Jace finished the small tour.

It took twenty more minutes for the food to be finished, being only fried eggs, bacon, sausage, and biscuits. It didn't matter to them that it was normally a breakfast meal, they were hungry and it was late. Auron didn't have time to prepare anything else. They sat around on the couches and ate their food quietly with no conversation. When they were done, Jace took their plates back to the kitchen and came back with drinks for everyone.

"So, what's the plans for the week?" Auron asked.

Jace gave it some thought and looked up at the ceiling. "Tomorrow we could go into the city. Visit the weapon gallery and then go to a restaurant to eat."

"When are you gonna go visit them?" Alyss asked.

"Maybe the last day we're here. We can just use this time to just hang out around the house or in the city," Jace answered, then they prepared for bed, "I'm gonna start praying. For all the ones that didn't make it, both from the invasion and from those experiments. If I can help it, it'll always be here when I come to do it."

Jace looked at Alex and grinned, his expression lightening up again. "You'll have to sleep on the couch. There's no guest room."

Alex shrugged. "Fine by me. These couches are fucking soft."

* * *

Jace glanced to the left side of the road and caught sight of the entrance to an apartment complex. He sighed and pulled into the parking lot next to it, then waited for the others to park. He looked at the building, which had large windows for the rooms overlooking the city, but he specifically looked up to the twenty-third floor. He wondered if anything had been done to it, such as if it had been cleaned out of anything. That would be doubtful though, Ironwood would've surely told him if that had happened. Auron parked his truck next to Jace and they all stepped out.

"Was this his apartment?" Alyss asked.

Jace nodded and looked back down from the windows. "Yeah. I don't know if that would've went to me too or not though."

"You wanna go in an' see?" Auron asked and glanced up where Jace had been staring.

"I don't know. I don't want to use our time just to find out."

Alex put his hand on Jace's shoulder. "C'mon, just go. We don't mind."

"We have all week." Raine said.

"And you don't know when you'll be back." Vivi added.

Jace sighed and looked to the front doors. "What about you, Shyla? What do you think?"

"I think that if it's important to you, then you should see." She answered.

"We can wait out here for ya." Auron said.

Jace took a deep breath and stepped toward the building, but stopped. "Can you come with me?" Jace asked Alyss, "I'm probably gonna need you,"

She nodded quickly and stepped up with him. Jace took her hand and looked at the others. "I don't know how long this'll take."

"Take your time." Vivi insisted.

Jace nodded and the two walked toward the building. It was more of a low-end penthouse building than a normal apartment complex. It offered relatively affordable rooms for a good amount of Atlas' least wealthy people. Due to being a Huntsman, Jace's father was able to live there at a discount. It was discounted even more when Haile saved the building from a few White Fang 'protestors' that were after one of the occupants. Haile was given his room at a seventy-five percent discount in the end and he decided to keep it.

Jace and Alyss walked up to the front desk and motioned to the receptionist. "Hello. Welcome to Dewdrop Penthouses. Are you interested in purchasing a room?" The woman asked them.

"I'd like to see about a room that my father had here. Number one-fifteen on floor twenty three."

The receptionist looked at her computer screen and typed away. Alyss leaned up and whispered very quietly in his ear. "This building can't have that many rooms, can it?"

Jace shook his head. "It doesn't. They way they number the rooms here is weird. I don't know why they do it this way."

After another moment, the woman slowly looked back up to them. She looked closely at the two and her eyes widened in recognition. "You're two of the _Heroes of Vale_!" She said out loud.

"Yeah… that's what headmaster Ozpin called us." Alyss said and blushed at the title.

"Umm, hold on a moment please." She said and quickly looked through the computer. Jace closed his eyes and leaned against the counter, holding his head in his hands. He felt Alyss' hand squeeze his shoulder and he smiled just a bit. This was why he asked her to come in.

"Alright, I found it," The woman said and gained his attention, "It says that the suite was originally Haile Reznor's, but ownership was transferred over to Jace Reznor. That's you, from what I remember of the _Reclamation of Vale_ address." The woman said and Jace nodded his head, "Alright. And it was paid off completely by… General Ironwood himself? Wow, he must've been really thankful for what you did."

Jace could only stare in disbelief at what she had said. The receptionist looked at him and saw how he looked, then she turned to Alyss. "Is he alright?"

"I think he's just really surprised." She answered.

"Ironwood did that?" Jace asked after a few moments. He said it more to himself, but the woman behind the desk heard it and looked back to the computer.

"It says he did on the registry for the room. From hearing what you said during the address, it doesn't surprise me." The receptionist responded.

"I… I don't know what to say…" Jace took a breath to calm himself and Alyss took his hand and squeezed it. Jace took another breath and smiled toward Alyss, then he turned back to the receptionist. "I'm pretty sure my scroll is still verified. Can I make sure?"

The woman nodded and Jace brought his scroll out, then the woman connected it to the computer. After a few moments, she nodded to him. "Alright, you're still good to go."

Jace took his scroll back and nodded to her. "Thanks. Have a good day."

"You too. And thank you both for what you do."

Jace and Alyss walked to one of the elevators and stepped inside, then Jace pressed the button for the twenty-third floor. After thirty seconds, the elevator _dinged_ and admitted them to the floor. The rooms were spaced out a good amount, so they had to walk a good ways into the hall before they found the door to Haile's, or rather Jace's, room.

They stepped in front of the door and Jace held his scroll up to it, then heard the lock disengage. He looked to Alyss and she nodded to him, then he opened the door. It had been cleaned up, Jace could tell. From what the scientist Grigori said before, Jace had understood that they had taken his father from the penthouse. Jace thought it would be ruined still, but that worry was dispelled when he saw everything was still as clean and straightened out as when he was last there. The room itself was low-end for Atlesian standards, but served Haile well when he had to be there. It gave him a view over a small part of the city with the large windows, a cooking area on the left side as they came into the room, the living area in the center with the large vidcaster in the middle of the room and up against the wall between two of the windows, and the dining area just behind that.

The sleeping area was to the far left side of the room, on the wall opposite of the kitchen. It consisted of a small area with a desk and a few bookshelves, and a small staircase leading up to a raised platform with a bed, two nightstands, a bookshelf, and a small refrigerator. There were a few more rooms, such as a large bathroom, two more smaller bedrooms with their own bathrooms and closet, but only the large room was needed most of the time. The furnishings and walls were wooden instead of Atlas' usual white-out designs. Haile felt more at home within the red cedar-crafted walls, tables, and desks. And now it was Jace's and he didn't have to pay a thing for it.

"Oh my Oum… It's been a long time since I've been here." Jace said after he took a deep breath.

He walked around, with Alyss right behind him, looking around at everything he hadn't seen in three years. He walked to the kitchen and checked the food, wondering if it had been replaced. Of course it had, the management of this complex had always made sure that everyone's food would be restocked every once in a while if the owner had not been there for a long period of time. Jace closed the refrigerator and walked to the office and bed area, then saw a note on the desk. He picked it up and saw that it was from General Ironwood.

 _'Jace, I hope you come across this note. I left this here when you received your prosthetic. I don't know when you will see this. I want to let you know that I have paid off your father's penthouse and had the registration changed to your name. I have not told you this, but Grigori's men took your father from his house south of the city, not the penthouse. I made sure that everything was cleaned, straightened, and fixed as it had been before. I did not want to give you another thing clouding your mind that day you received your prosthetic. I know that it seems like I am doing too much for you. To an outside eye, that would certainly be the case. But at the time of writing this, they do not know what I know. You were a star student here and I know you will be at Beacon. You've gone through too much to not have anything given back to you. And this, along with your house and your prosthetic arm, is that. After what you have been through and what you have done, you have my deepest respect. Out of any young man or woman attending any academy, that is something I believe I can only say for you, at least for the moment. I wish you well in your endeavors, Jace.'_

Jace stared at the note as his hand trembled. He closed his eyes as tears started to fall from them. He couldn't believe that Ironwood had done so much for him. His house was kept secure. He acquired a high-end, extremely durable prosthetic that let him _feel_ with his left hand again. And now his father's penthouse was paid for and given to him. Jace felt like he didn't deserve it. He had never done anything before he was kidnapped. He was always happy with what he had before and never asked for anything more. He was recognized as hero not only to Vale, but to the whole of Remnant for stopping those kidnappings. All of the things given to him seemed like too much to take in and accept.

Alyss stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, then pressed the side of her head into the back of his neck. She didn't say a word. She didn't have to. Jace felt himself calm down in her embrace. He dropped the note back on the desk, then twisted around and wrapped Alyss in a tight hug. He pressed his head against the top of hers and closed his eyes again. "All of this… I just can't help but feel I don't deserve it." He said quietly.

Alyss felt his tears on the top of her head and she pulled herself tighter against him. "That's always hard to say… if you deserve something or not. It's always someone else to say they think that you _do_ deserve something. The General thinks you do. The others think you do. _I_ think you do. You've been through a lot and you saved so many lives. You saved _my_ life… I think you deserve what he's done for you." She spoke softly into his chest, the vibrations of her voice carried through and his heart beat just a bit faster.

After a few moments, Jace pulled away and held onto Alyss hands. "I still can't believe any of it… The thing I can't believe the most is that I have you." He said and kissed her softy on the lips.

They broke off the kiss and hugged more softly this time now that Jace had calmed. They separated and went to the window, then looked down onto the streets. They saw the others standing down in the parking lot, but couldn't tell who was who from the height they were. Jace grinned and kissed the side of Alyss' head.

"I guess we should head back down, shouldn't we?" Jace asked her.

"Probably. I don't guess they'd want to be waiting out there forever." She answered and kissed him on the cheek.

They made their way from the room and Jace turned the lights off. He took one more look inside the room and shut the door, then the lock automatically engaged. The two walked hand in hand back down the hall and stepped into the elevator, then started the descent down. They stood against the wall and leaned against each other peacefully until they reached the bottom.

Alyss leaned up and kissed him on the lips. "I honestly can't believe I have you too." She said with a smile and the elevator doors opened.

Jace smiled widely and they walked out of the building, then across the street. Raine looked at Jace and saw his eyes were still shining with tears. "You work through it?" She asked.

"Thanks to her." Jace replied and put his arm around Alyss' shoulders.

"What's the news about his apartment?" Auron asked.

"General Ironwood changed the registry of the room to Jace," Alyss answered and placed a kiss on Jace's cheek, "And it's paid for."

Auron nodded slowly and turned back to Jace. "So you got two places to stay, just like your dad did?"

Jace nodded. "Yeah. I really don't know what think," He said and stepped toward his motorcycle, "Everyone ready to go?"

"We were just waitin' for you." Auron said as he opened the door of his truck.

Jace turned to Alex. "Next time we're here, I'll get your scroll verified to unlock it if you're ever here."

Alex nodded. "Thanks, bro."

* * *

They returned to the house and began to watch a movie. It was a western-fantasy movie called _Undertaker_. A story about an undead outlaw risen from his grave to avenge the murder of his parents by his half-brother, who burned down the funeral home that they ran.

"Y'know Auron, you almost sound like Callous when you're pissed." Jace remarked to his tallest teammate.

"Really?" Auron said with a bit of a grin, "Huh. I ain't gonna lie, that's weird."

"So you were almost kicked out of the gallery before because of some woman?" Shyla asked Jace and Alyss, who nodded.

"It's true. I'm glad that Grant hired someone that can actually keep her opinions to herself." Jace answered.

"It was also nice of him to admit us for free." Vivi stated.

"I still can't believe I'm considered a hero." Auron said with a grin.

"Same here," Alex agreed, "Just last year, I was stealing stuff to survive. Then I got my ass handed to me by an apprentice Ranger." He grinned toward Raine.

"Pressure points can be a bitch." Raine returned the grin.

"You all _did_ take back control of Vale," Shyla said at Auron's side, "And you _are_ heroes."

"I just hope we won't have to deal with people wanting autographs." Raine said with a chuckle.

"What'll we do for tomorrow?" Vivi asked.

"We can stay here and watch a ten hour long movie. It's really good." Jace suggested.

Shyla, Alex, and Vivi looked at him strangely. "Ten hours long?" Shyla asked him.

"Ten hours," Jace confirmed, "It also still makes me cry at certain places. Just to warn you."

"Oh Oum." Alex said with a grin.

"And what about the next day?" Vivi asked again.

"We'll go to the clearing then." Jace answered and they turned their attention back to the movie.

* * *

The group walked slowly down the path behind Jace's house. They each had their weapons with them, always ready for the Grimm. Auron stood close by Shyla to protect her in case the monsters _did_ show up. They came within fifty feet of the area and Jace noticed a faint glow coming from it, thinking it was just the stone in the water. As they walked closer however, he saw that there were two figures kneeling there in front of his family's headstones. Jace wanted to reach for _Legacy_ , but something in his mind told him not to.

They entered the clearing and were left speechless. The two figures were One-Winged Angels. One had a large, ornate shotgun strapped to his back and an axe at his side. The other had a large greatsword. They were all stunned but Jace walked forward toward them, letting go of Alyss' hand. They heard the noise behind them and stood slowly, then turned toward him. What Jace couldn't notice when he saw the Angels before was that they had emblems on the upper-left area of their chestplates.

The one in front of Haile's headstone had a cross emblazoned on his armor with a snake wrapping around the top. The other's emblem was a cartoonish skull with one curved sword behind it. Then, they took their hoods off. Dark emerald and sky-blue eyes looked back at Jace and he could only stare back. They glowed brightly and their armor changed form into more casual clothes.

"D-dad? Gen?" Jace said in disbelief as his family members stood in front of him.

"Hey son." Haile said and raised his hand in a small wave.

Genesis stepped forward and wrapped Jace in a hug. "You've done a lot of things lately. Oum I wish I was there at your side."

"I-I don't… What's going on? H-how are you here?" Jace asked as he stared back at them, the confusion keeping him from embracing his brother in a hug.

"Because of what we do now, we can come down at almost any time we need to," Haile said and walked forward, wearing a smile on his face, "But this is complicated. I think it has something to do with that stone."

"Oh, and your friends can see us too. You're not crazy," Genesis said as he stepped from Jace, then raised his hand in a wave to the others, "Y'know, because they look like they've seen a ghost."

Jace's shock abated quickly and he shot forward to grab them both in a hug. "I've missed you both so damn much."

"We missed you too, Jace," Haile said and patted Jace on the back, "But we've seen… _almost_ everything you've done. And we saw that you brought someone into our family."

"Yeah, Alex… We came from the same parents. They abused him and he ran away."

"We know. It's good that he found you too. Also…" Genesis grinned and looked at Jace's left ear, "Nice earring."

Jace smiled. "Thanks. Alyss picked it out for me and I picked hers."

"And you chose the colors of both your auras for the gems," Haile said, "And the pendant because she's your kitten, right?" He grinned at the light blush on Jace's face.

"Yeah… she is," He said and looked at Genesis, "She picked this one because it's your aura color."

"I know. That was really sweet of her to do." Genesis smiled.

"And you're her kitten now too, right?" Haile asked him, glancing up to Jace's ears.

"Yeah… What do you think of me growing them?"

"I never expected to have a Faunus son." Haile said with a grin.

"I think they match pretty well with Alyss'. Really adorable." Genesis added.

Jace laughed lightly at that. "I never expected it after what we've went through. I like them."

"We can tell with all the purring you do." Genesis laughed.

"Yeah, yeah. I purr now," Jace grinned, then it fell as he sighed, "I'm sorry that _Standoff_ got left at Beacon when it fell…"

Genesis shook his head. "It didn't matter to me if you got that sword back. Sure, it was mine, but my aura that was in it all went to you after that. I'm just glad you got your home back."

"We're very proud of you, Jace," Haile said, "You came all this way after all of that two years ago and you made some good friends from what we saw," He glanced past Jace and saw Alyss, then smiled, "And a great girlfriend."

"And you finally made a sword for yourself," Genesis butted in and grinned, "An Artillery Claymore huh? Didn't think you could pull off something like that."

"I had help. A lot of help," Jace replied to Genesis, then turned to his father, "We're actually mated. Because I'm, well, a Faunus now, I can actually be her mate," He said and pulled the collar of his shirt and jacket out of the way, revealing the mark that Alyss put on him, "She's one of the two reasons why I'm still here."

"Oum I'm proud of you," Genesis grinned widely and grabbed Jace's shoulder, "She seems like a great girl. It's good that your happy."

"I really am." Jace said and smiled softly.

"Alright. So, when are you gonna introduce us to them?" Haile asked and glanced past Jace again. They each were still in shock at seeing the Angels, much less than the shock of seeing Jace's fallen family.

Jace smiled and nodded, then turned around. "Hey guys! Come over here!" He called to them and they slowly walked forward.

"Man, they're really confused aren't they?" Genesis remarked to Haile.

"It looks like it." Haile answered as the group came up to them.

"So, you're the friends that Jace told us about when he was here?" Haile said with a grin and looked through them, "Nice to meet you. I'm Haile Reznor."

"And I'm Genesis Galloway." Genesis greeted.

"You're both really here?" Alyss said in wonder.

"It's complicated, but yeah," Genesis answered and smiled to her, "I doubt you would know it, but I'm the one that healed your mom's wounds. She says she's proud of you."

"You're the one that healed her ears?" Alyss asked and looked at him with tears quickly forming in her eyes from the news.

"Yeah, and you both did guess right. Her soul wasn't happy and she didn't want you to see her like that."

She stepped forward and hugged him tightly. "Thank you so much!" She said and Genesis patted her back.

"Don't mention it. Just keep Jace in line," He said and grinned at Jace, then turned to Alex, "You help her with that."

"Umm… Yeah, I will. I'm Alex, by the way." Alex greeted nervously.

Haile and Genesis grinned at each other. "Just Alex?" They both asked him.

"Uhh… Alex Rez-" He shook his head.

"It's alright, Alex. You can say it." Haile assured him.

Alex sighed. "I just… I don't want you to think I'm replacing you as his brother." Alex said to Genesis.

Genesis sighed and smiled. "You're not replacing me. Oum no. You're as much of a brother to him that I am, even though I knew him longer. You're his blood. You can hear it from us that we're happy to have you in our family. So, what's your name?" Genesis asked.

Alex smiled. "Alex Reznor. Thanks for accepting me into it."

"No problem. Thanks for accepting Jace too," Haile said to him, then he turned to Raine, "And you're Emowyn's little sister?"

She nodded quickly. "Yeah, I am. It's nice to meet you."

"You too, especially considering how much she talked about you back then. I think she's really proud of you." Haile said with a smile.

"Well, I did learn from her and dad." Raine shook her head and smiled.

"You look a lot like her. Only shorter." Genesis remarked.

Raine laughed at that. "So I've heard."

"' _Don't stare too long into the sun that you forget the rest of the sky._ ' That's a wise saying." Vivi said with a grin.

"I guess Jace told you." Haile remarked.

"I told literally _everyone_." Jace added.

"The way it looks, it definitely helped," Haile shook their hands and grinned, "Hopefully it'll help you if you go through a rough time."

"Hey, you guys know my dad?" Auron asked both Haile and Genesis.

"Yeah. Smoke Karmine," Genesis answered, "We saw him a few times."

"He tell you about how he died?"

"Yeah he did. I'm glad you guys put a stop to them and got your own peace."

Auron nodded and held his head down in silence. Jace looked from Auron to Genesis and took a deep breath. "Did you tell Alyss' mom about what happened to us?"

"She found us and asked after you had her funeral, so yeah," Genesis answered him, then turned to Alyss, "And Alyss, she's happy that you found someone to love and that you grew so close to mate with him."

That made Alyss' smile even wider. "She said that?" She asked, but she already knew the answer.

"She really did. And from what I've seen myself, Jace is lucky to have you."

" _Really_ lucky." Jace agreed and placed a soft kiss on Alyss' cheek.

"I want both of ya to know that I respect the hell outta him." Auron gained the Angels' attention and they smiled.

"For what you and Alyss had to go through, we respect both of you too." Haile said.

"And I guess you figured out who saved you on that cliff." Haile said toward Jace.

"I saw the shotgun, then when I came back here I realized that it looked really close to yours." Jace answered with a grin.

"I wasn't gonna let my son die by a few Beowulves. You _had_ to get to Vale."

Genesis looked over to Auron and regarded the girl holding his hand. "So, who are you?" He asked her, "You've stayed quiet."

"Oh, I'm Shyla Lynn. Auron's girlfriend," She answered nervously, "I just didn't want to talk and take away from your time with Jace."

"That's okay. We still have some time. I just don't want you to feel left out."

She smiled and looked up at him. "Jace was right. You _are_ really nice."

"I try," Genesis smiled back and turned to Jace and Alyss, "So that mark… Why is there a leaf on Jace's shoulder? With his emblem?"

"It's called a _Mate's Mark_. In the second stage like ours, it takes the form of something that holds great meaning to the giver," Alyss explained to him, "That oakleaf was my mom's emblem and Jace means so much to me too."

"Lilith said that being mated is like being married," Haile said and Alyss nodded nervously, "So… you'd technically be my daughter-in-law?"

"U-umm… Yeah," Alyss answered, "That's kinda what I meant before… When I told Jace that maybe I could be something to both of you too…"

"Really? You just started dating and you already felt that way?" Genesis asked with a smile as Haile tilted his head.

"Y-yeah. I've never felt that for anyone like I have for Jace. We told each other about what we went through and I just felt so comfortable around him." Alyss smiled as Jace kissed her cheek.

"It's the same with me," Jace said, "I'm the happiest and most comfortable I can be when I'm with her."

"Stop being sappy," Genesis laughed, "Alyss, I'm happy you're my sister-in-law."

"And I'm proud to be your father-in-law. Welcome to the family." Haile added.

"T-thank you both for accepting me." Alyss said with a wide smile.

"Now that that's out of the way," Genesis said, "If you don't mind me asking, what's the mark on your shoulder?"

"I don't mind at all," Alyss said and glanced to Jace, who nodded. She took hold of the collar of her shirt and pulled it out of the way. Genesis went wide-eyed and he smiled.

"It's good to know that we still mean so much to you." Genesis said and wrapped Jace in a hug.

Jace hugged back and smiled. "I think Alyss can understand me saying this. But the person that raised me as his own and the person that promised I'd never be alone will always have the greatest meaning to me."

"I said stop being sappy!" Genesis laughed and stepped away from him, "I know that you both mean a lot to each other. I think that she should mean more to you now. I'm not asking you to just forget about us. Just… always be there for her." He said and smiled toward Alyss.

"I definitely _will_ be there for her. I promised her mom," Jace replied and held Alyss' hand softly, "And I'm never gonna forget what you two have done for me."

"After Jace said so much… it's an honor to be able to meet you." Alyss said sweetly and bowed her head to him.

Genesis smiled and shook his head. "If anything, I should be honored to meet you. You've kept his head straight when he needed it and you've always been there for him since you met. You two are good for each other."

"Thanks." They both replied.

"And it's good that Ironwood did all that for you," Haile smiled as he looked at Jace's left arm, "There's a reason I liked working for him."

"He paid for your apartment and gave it to me, he had this arm made for me that lets me feel again, and he kept our house for me… I owe him so much."

"That's what you keep saying," Haile replied and laughed, "You have a lot of years to pay everyone back. You'll do good."

"Thanks dad. There's a lot I have to pay back too."

"Oh, speaking of paying back," Genesis said with a grin, "Michael and Liza?"

"They actually got better. Liza uses dust decently well and Michael uses his sword-whip thing to hold things in place," Jace answered with a grin, "Were you able to hear about Tyr's semblance?"

"Oh yeah. The wolf. That's something." Genesis answered.

"That thing saved me from getting killed back when we took Beacon back. It's awesome."

"I… I gotta ask…" Auron started quietly, "Why… Wh-why didn't an Angel help dad or Pyrrha?" He asked with pain in his voice

"I had a feeling you'd ask that," Haile said with a sigh, "I honestly don't know. But what I _do_ know is that they're at peace. And…" He gave a grin, "I think Oum has a plan for them. Just like for me and Gen."

"Wait… you mean they're One-Winged Angels too?" Auron asked.

"Yeah. They're still helping out in the world, but in a different way," Genesis said to him, "Pyrrha said she's happy knowing you and her team are doing okay now. And she wanted to thank you for always talking to her like a normal person and being one of her first friends."

Auron smiled at that and looked up to the sky. "Looks like she really _is_ immortal."

Haile let out a sigh and looked around at the group. "I think we should probably go. I don't want to keep you guys from hanging out together. Especially you two." He said the last part to Jace and Alyss.

"You're gonna leave?" Jace asked sadly.

"Yeah, dad's right. We're Angels. We have to go look out for some people," Genesis gave a small smile toward Jace, "As much as we'd like to stay here."

"We'll be around. And I'm not sure if this was a one time thing or not," Haile said. He stepped forward and gave Jace one more hug, "I'm so proud of you."

Jace hugged back and his voice shuddered. "I-I'm glad I got to see you again."

"I hope we can visit again."

"Before we go, let me see _Legacy_." Genesis requested. Jace nodded and quickly took the sword from his back. He held the hilt out and Genesis took it in his hands, then closed his eyes.

The blade started to glow after a moment and a current of electricity and fire ran across the blade's length. Genesis opened his eyes and grinned, then handed the sword back to Jace. "My fire. Dad's electricity. I know you can do it with dust, but now you just need to put your aura to it to make it easier. Think of it as a gift for being a hero."

Jace held _Legacy_ in his hands as he saw the currents of elements settling. He looked past the sword and sighed. "Thanks Gen."

"Just become a good Huntsman. If I know anyone that can, it's you," Genesis grinned and looked around at Jace's team and his, or rather _their_ , brother, "And these four."

"We'll be watching. Mostly anyways," He grinned widely at Jace and Alyss, "Gotta give you two some privacy sometimes."

Alyss looked down with a blush on her face and Jace laughed lightly with Genesis. "I promise not to let you two down."

"I have no doubt that you'll do great," Haile said and looked to the sky, "I hope I can visit you again, son. Stay safe, and see you later."

"Bye dad. Thanks for everything." Jace bid his farewell and Haile disappeared in a flash of blue light.

Jace blinked back tears and looked to Genesis. "It's been hard on me. But I'm happy now," Jace said and thought back to everything that he went through, "H-honestly… I'm glad that I was kidnapped. If we weren't, I would've never met any of my friends or my mate. Michael and Liza are training themselves now and I actually got to talk with Tyr and his team. I just wish that you could be here too."

"Hey, even though I'm not _here_ anymore, I can say that I'm glad too," Genesis said with a smile, "You have more friends than what we had in Atlas and hell, even those two could be considered friends now. They fought with you and made it up to us. I think I can respect and forgive them now."

"They'd be glad to hear it," Jace said, then glanced to Alyss, "I gave Alyss your old revolver."

Genesis nodded. "I know. And I think it's a good match for her," He looked toward Alyss and bowed his head to her, "Take good care of it."

"I already promised Jace that I would. But I'll promise you too." She replied with a smile.

"And thanks for that emblem. You did good making it," Genesis said as he glanced back at his headstone, "I'm… I'm gonna go now. It's been good to see you in person again and to meet your friends."

"We're glad to meet you too." Alyss said.

Jace held his fist out and looked to his brother with tears in his eyes. "I have four years. I'm gonna be a Huntsman for both of us."

Genesis nodded and knocked his fist into Jace's. "I know you will."

"And if they have the tournaments again after the last one," Jace grinned and touched the hilt of _Standoff_ , "I'll make sure we win."

"That'll be a fight to see. I'll see you later, man."

"Bye, Gen."

As Genesis disappeared into a flash of green light, Jace let out a deep breath. He felt something in him that he hadn't felt in a long time. Pride. He had more pride in himself now than what he ever had. He took pride now in all that he had done in those past two years, knowing that his family was truly proud of him. He closed his eyes and looked up, knowing that Genesis and Haile was looking right back at him.

"I can't believe I got to see them again." He said after a few moments.

Alyss gripped his hand and pressed herself close to him. "It was an honor to be able to meet them. I can't thank Genesis enough. Or Haile."

"I can understand Gen. But why dad?"

"He saved you from the streets and saved you from those Beowulves. I wouldn't have met you if he didn't."

Jace kissed the top of her head and smiled. "I don't know where I'd be if that didn't happen."

"And in a way… Genesis saved my life by making _Atronach_ … If I didn't have it, I might've died in Mistral."

Auron and the others stepped forward again after they hung back while Jace talked with the Angels. "So that was them." Auron said.

"I'm glad you guys could meet them." Jace responded.

"I'm glad they accepted me too. This was a hell of a first visit." Alex said quietly.

"And I'm really glad I got to meet the man that helped Emowyn," Raine smiled as she held Vivi's hand, "She would never believe me if I told her I just met him."

"She would think we were crazy." Vivi added with a chuckle.

"This was the perfect place for you to see them again." Shyla remarked as she looked at the standing stone.

Jace smiled and looked down toward the water of the pond. "It's a great spot for a lot of things. How about we just relax for a bit?"

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: That was kind of a strange chapter.** **Jace was reunited with Genesis and Haile, even though it was for a short time. They got to meet his friends and his mate, and now Jace can truly be at peace. On the world of Remnant, you never know what can happen.**

 **I know this is a huge stretch with religion in Remnant, but we still really don't know much about it. The standing stone has energy that makes the area around it very pleasant, letting things grow that shouldn't grow anywhere on Solitas. That stone is like an anchor to heaven, so to speak.**

 **One more to go, guys. See you then, and have a nice day!**


	77. Epilogue

**To Monty.**

 **Thank you. Thank you for bringing such a great show into the world. RWBY is my absolute favorite thing to watch since I discovered it and it's the only thing that has ever made me want to write fanfiction. So thank you for inspiring me to do something completely new. I hope you're resting easy, Monty.**

* * *

 **Epilogue**

 **Four months later**

It took a bit longer than what Glynda or Ozpin had anticipated. All the students had returned in three months, but rooms still had to be straightened out, along with the returning students learning where everything was again.

Jace woke up and stared at the ceiling for a few moments as he listened to the sounds of the room. Auron's snoring, Raine's even breaths, and Alyss' soft purrs. It gave him a sense of normality to be able to just listen to everything in silence and peace.

He raised his left arm up and looked at the metal of his prosthetic. Two months before, he had visited doctor Seabolte and had the synthetic skin removed and he requested a new arm. It had three segmented plates hugging the shoulder. The plates of the arm itself had been redone and there was more silver to it. The forearm plates were darker silver and there were plates of black metal on the sides of the forearm, then there were two more, smaller, silver plates on the sides of his upper arm. The pinky and ring finger were silver as well. It still had the heating coil and he could still feel with it.

He moved the fingers around, faintly hearing the mechanical movements of it. After the ceremony where he finally got everything off his chest, he decided once again not to hide it. Everyone else supported his decision of it, saying they didn't care if it was metal or not. It was his arm and it let him feel. It was his arm to them all now, and he felt that way as well. It was normal to him now. After a few more moments, he carefully lifted himself out of bed and went to the bathroom to take care of his usual morning business, such as making sure his face was shaven and guessing what color his right eye was before he looked in the mirror, among other things.

He closed the door and took care of his bodily needs first, then he stepped in front of the mirror to wash his hands and he splashed cold water on his face to wake himself up. He would wait on a shower to save the warm water for the others. He stared at himself in the mirror and sighed. He was wrong again on his eye color. He had guessed blue but it was swirled with both colors at the moment. He shook his head and started to stretch his limbs as he closed his eyes, clasping his hands behind his back and pushing them outward.

His eyes bolted open at the feeling of fur brushing against his knuckles. He straightened his body out and looked behind him, seeing nothing there. That was until he looked down. Hanging off his lower back was a four foot long dark-red tail. He reached back and lightly grabbed hold of it, jumping when he felt a bit of pleasure course through him at the touch. He let go of it and focused. He was actually able to move the tail around in every direction. He brought the tip of the tail up to his face and he stared in shock as the realization hit him.

"What the fuck!" He yelled out before clamping his hand over his mouth.

He had grown a tail.

"Again with this?" He asked himself in confusion, his ears flattening out against his skull.

"Jace… What's wrong?" Alyss called out tiredly from their bed.

Jace quickly poked his head out and looked around the room. The others were surprisingly still asleep and Alyss was sitting up in bed, looking at him in confusion.

"Alyss, come in here with me." Jace requested and she slowly got out of bed.

She stepped into the bathroom and Jace lightly shut the door. "Okay, what's this aboooouuu…" She couldn't finish her question as she took notice of the tail that her mate didn't have the day before.

"You seriously grew a tail too?" Alyss asked in shock.

"Apparently! This is so weird!" Jace said with wide eyes as he shook his head, "The fangs and ears I can understand, but a tail too?"

"Jace, sweetie," Alyss laid her hands on his shoulders and looked him in the eyes, "Calm down and breathe." She said and kissed him.

Jace calmed down and shook took a long, deep breath. "I have… a tail… and ears too. Fucking Oum. And on the first day of school."

"Come on. Let's go back to bed and you can sleep on it. It's only four o'clock."

"Only four?" Jace asked in disbelief, "I thought it was closer to six. Yeah… maybe I should just sleep and… Yeah, let's go sleep."

"We can talk about it more later." Alyss said and the two left the bathroom as Jace wrapped the tail around his waist.

They returned to bed and Jace wrapped his arms around Alyss from behind. They wrapped the covers around themselves and slowly drifted back to sleep. After two hours, their alarm blared loudly and the two woke themselves up again. Alyss found out that Jace's tail had wrapped itself around her thigh as they slept. She couldn't lie, she liked the feeling. The two mates stayed in bed while the others rose themselves from their own beds.

"Alright you two," Auron yawned and looked over to Jace and Alyss, "Get up an' get the sleep outta your eyes."

Alyss extracted herself from the covers, Jace's arms, and his tail as she stood up. Jace turned and set his feet on the floor as he looked around at the others. _"Well, I wonder how long it'll take for them to notice."_ He thought to himself.

He stood up and went to his and Raine's dresser to fish out his uniform as he let the tail sway behind him. He grabbed the items he needed and walked to his bed to lay them out as the others decided who got the shower first. He noticed that the room went silent after a moment and he turned around to see Auron and Raine staring at him.

Auron shook his head. "Just when you think shit got normal…"

"Our teammate has to grow a tail." Raine finished for him.

"Trust me, I have no damn idea why I have a tail too. But I have one." Jace said and sat down at the table.

"Fuck it. I ain't gonna question it. Same with your ears." Auron said and sat down across from him. The others sat down as well and Alyss held Jace's hand.

"I wonder what kind it is," Raine said, "I mean, maybe it's different than a cat's."

"It's definitely a cat's," Alyss said and looked behind Jace at it, "It's all furry like Sun's but… it's definitely not a monkey's."

"What, like a puma?" Jace suggested.

Auron rolled his eyes. " _No_ , she means a chu… a chupa…"

"A chupacabra." Raine offered.

"Yeah. A chupathingy. _That's_ what Alyss means."

"Oh shut up," Jace shook his head toward him, "Whatever it is, I have both it and my ears and it's weird."

"If you don't care, I'm gonna take a shower. This is weirder than your ears growing." Raine said and grabbed her uniform. She headed to the bathroom while the others stayed seated.

Jace moved his new tail around behind him as he rested his chin in his hand. They stayed silent for a several minutes as they waited. "I can move it around like I've always had it, like my ears. I just don't think and I can move it."

"It don't feel uncomfortable does it?" Auron asked.

Jace shook his head. "No, since it just all grew last night, it's fine." He moved it around more and brought the tip of it toward Alyss' face. He bopped her on the nose with it and grinned.

"Really Jace? You're already using it to play with me?" She asked as he moved his tail back around behind him.

Auron snickered and drew their attention. "Alyss, just 'cause this is a weird situation, I ain't gonna say anything."

"What do you…" Alyss started and blushed as she narrowed her eyes at him, "You're the worst."

Auron grinned at her. "What are brothers for?"

"Yelling dodge?" Jace asked with a grin.

"I can do that."

"Please no. Gen did that enough." Jace said and layed his tail over his shoulder.

"I'm sure dad could tell you how annoying brothers can be," Raine said as she stepped out of the bathroom, having heard the last bit, shaking her hair out with a towel, "Him and Gilan always get in these little arguments over the smallest things."

"I'm sure it's worse for twins like them, right?" Alyss asked with a grin.

"Definitely." Raine laughed and Auron stepped into the bathroom.

"It's so weird to wear this." Raine said in remarks to the uniform's skirt.

"You'll get used to it." Alyss assured her.

"It's gonna be weird just wearing the uniform," Jace said for himself. He realized something and sighed, "I'm gonna need to talk to Glynda about my uniform. Shit."

"You should probably call her." Alyss suggested.

Jace nodded. "I don't think she'd take it too well if I just cut it up without talking to her." He said and grabbed his scroll.

They stayed silent while Jace called Glynda. "Hello Mr. Reznor. Is there something you need?"

"Yes ma'am. I need to know if you have any uniforms my size that are made for cat Faunus with a tail."

"Is there a reason why you need one?"

"I-umm… Can we set this to video chat?"

Glymda complied and Jace could see the look of irritation on her face. "I'm sure you could have simply told me…" Her eyes locked on the dark-red tail waving behind Jace's head, "You have a tail." She stated plainly.

"Yes ma'am." Jace affirmed.

"I… did not expect that," Glymda sighed, "At the moment, I do not know if we have extra uniforms. But until I can deliver them to you, do as you must with the one you have."

"Okay, thank you." Jace said and the call was ended.

"Alright, so I need a knife." Jace said and stood from the table. He walked over to Auron's bed and dug under his pillow, then he pulled out the long-bladed knife the gunslinger kept there. He went back across the room and grabbed his dress shirt and suit jacket.

"How are you gonna fix it?" Raine asked.

"I don't guess ' _stab the fuck out of it_ ' is the right answer," Jace said with a laugh, "I'm just gonna cut a slit in the middle at the bottom. Simple fix for a weird situation." He said and worked on his uniform.

Raine went and grabbed her jacket from her bed. She laid it over the back of the chair and sat back down. "It's about time." She said with a grin.

"Yeah, I'd say," Jace smiled and quickly finished with his dress shirt, "Finally."

"I wonder how weird it is for all the surviving team members that got switched around." Alyss said. Many students had died when Vale fell. Glynda and Ozpin had to work through and even out all of the teams again by placing the surviving member of one team with the other three of another, or two survivors from one team with two survivors of another and so forth. Alex was put on a team with three surviving members of one team. Their last teammate didn't die, he was badly injured and he couldn't continue his training. They had formed the new team Silver next door to JKDW. Their members were Aulin Sylvana, Inuvali Lirra, Bell Vonas, and Alex.

"I'm sure that's why Glynda let them all have an extra month to get used to each other and to get to know each other." Raine said with a sigh.

"Things are still gonna be weird for them for awhile. I'm sure it's still weird for SLVR since Alex was never even in a team here. And it's weird for him since he's a year younger," Jace shook his head a bit and smiled, "But things are almost normal again. I think Alex and Aulin are getting along _really_ well too."

"That's good to hear. I hope you didn't wake all of them up with that yell." Alyss said.

"I'm sure it's fine," Jace said, "Auron and Raine didn't wake up."

They sat in a comfortable silence until Auron finished his shower, then Alyss took her turn. Auron sat down and slipped on his dress shoes, then worked on tying them. "Hell, I just ain't gonna get used to walkin' in these." He grumbled and finished tying one.

"I'm pretty sure I remember Ozpin saying you can make small changes to the outfit if you wanted to. Ruby wears her cloak with hers." Jace said and Auron stopped with the shoes and reversed his actions, then kicked the shoes from his feet.

"Good. I don't particularly feel like gettin' used to new shoes." He said and found his boots.

"Does that mean I can change out of this skirt?" Raine asked.

"I said 'small.' I'm pretty sure the skirt's a big part of it," Jace answered and heard her sigh, "I don't know. Maybe you can wear shorts under it or something if you feel uncomfortable."

Raine thought it over and went to her dresser, then found a pair of tight shorts. "I'm doing it anyway. I do _not_ like skirts," She said. Jace and Auron turned their heads as she slipped the shorts on under the skirt. She sighed comfortably and sat back down in her chair. "Thanks for the idea."

Jace shrugged as he heard the water in the bathroom start. "Don't mention it. Just be thankful I have good memory." He said with a grin.

"You done with my knife?" Auron asked Jace as he finally finished with his jacket.

"Yep. Here you go." Jace said and handed the knife to Auron.

Auron let out a chuckle as he tossed the blade on his bed. "You got a hell of a day ahead o' you."

"Don't remind me. I'm gonna have such a headache… It's gonna be worse than when I explained my ears." Jace groaned.

"But," Auron started, "you got your reason. Because Alyss is a Faunus."

"Yeah, I'll just stick with that and leave it there."

"I wonder who's gonna say something first." Raine grinned at the looks of confusion that will be on everyone's faces.

"I'm gonna say-" A knock on the door interrupted Auron. He grinned at the look of irritation already on Jace's face.

"Guess we'll just find out wont we?" Jace said and went to answer the door.

He opened it and Alex was standing there, dressed completely in his uniform. "Hey, is everything alright? Bell said she woke up from hearing you yell."

"Shit, I didn't mean to wake her up. I know she's a light sleeper and those ears of hers don't help with that," Jace sighed and let Alex into the room, "You get to be the first person outside our team that knows."

Alex stepped inside and grew confused. "Knows what? What are you… The fuck?" He finally caught sight of the tail swishing around behind his brother.

"I woke up and found out I have a tail and I yelled from surprise. And now my day is gonna be hell."

"An' he's already usin' it to play with Alyss." Auron said, drawing a glare from Jace.

"I just flicked her on the nose with the tip of it." Jace said without taking his eyes off him.

"Give it time." Auron said.

Alex shook his head. "Okay… How do you-"

"Because Alyss." Jace interrupted him.

"Fuck it. I'm going to breakfast and I'll let Bell know what happened. Good luck with today." Alex said and left the room.

"That went well." Raine remarked.

"Not gonna be like that with everyone." Jace sighed.

A few moments later, the bathroom door came open and Jace walked toward it. He kissed Alyss on the cheek before he stepped in and closed the door. She smiled after him and went to sit down.

"Hurry the hell up in there so we can see you suffer!" Auron called to Jace.

"He means so we can go eat." Raine corrected him.

Jace opened the door a bit and glanced at them "You guys can go if you want. I'll catch up. Just… don't say anything." He said and closed it back.

"I guess I'll head on then." Auron said and stood from his seat as he threw on his uniform jacket.

"You can both go. I'll wait for Jace." Alyss said.

"Alright," Raine stood and grabbed the cloak she had for school. It was like the one she wore for Alyss' mother's funeral, but in the colors of the school's uniform. "See you at breakfast." She said and pulled it around her shoulders and clasped it together, then she and Auron left the room.

Alyss leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. Her thoughts drifted around as she thought over everything in her life. She remembered what Genesis had said to her of her mother. She smiled at the fact that she was proud and happy for her. She had always been proud of her since she started combat school in Vacuo, then when she was ready to move up to Beacon. Alyss thought about how far she and her team had come and how far she and Jace had come as a couple. And now they were in the second stage of the mark. And when they graduate, they would mark each other fully, bonding them forever. It was something Alyss thought would never happen, to be mated with someone like Jace. She was happy.

Alyss realized she must've dozed off as she opened her eyes at something tickling her nose. "Really? Again with the tail?"

Jace smiled down at her. "I might as well have fun with it, right?"

"I suppose so. How does it feel when you touch it?"

"Really freaking good, honestly. You wanna pet it?"

Alyss giggled at the question. "I kinda do."

Jace sat down next to her and moved his tail around to set in her lap. She gently took hold of it and ran her hands up and down its length as Jace started purring in pleasure. "It's so soft… and you're purring."

"That feels so damn _good_ …" Jace said and laid his head on the table as he closed his eyes.

"It's like our ears. Oh! You have a cute little tail now!" She squealed.

"Another thing to make me melt in your hands… Gods it's great," Jace opened his eyes and smiled, "Maybe we should go. Can't spend all day playing with my tail even though I'd _really_ like you to keep doing that."

"Yeah, you're right," Alyss said and released Jace's tail, "Can't keep everyone from seeing it."

"Oh yeah… _that_." Jace sighed at the thought of explaining it all day.

"We can take turns saying ' _because Alyss_ ' all day if you want." Alyss suggested and stood from her seat.

"I'd like that. Thank you, my pretty kitty."

Alyss slipped her jacket on quickly and waited for Jace. He put his boots on, then he stood and slipped his harness over his shoulders. He made sure it was tight enough on him and threw on his uniform jacket, then placed _Standoff_ on his back. He put his necklaces around his neck and took a deep breath.

"Alright. I'm good to go." He said and Alyss stepped over to give him a loving kiss. He smiled under it and returned the kiss eagerly as he reached up to give her ears a few scritches.

She purred and pulled away with a happy smile. "Let's go." She said and the two exited the room.

"When we woke up, your tail was wrapped around my thigh." Alyss said as she held his left hand, never minding that it was metal.

"Hmm. How was it?" Jace asked. He couldn't help but smile as he saw the bounce in her step.

"It was nice, actually. I liked it."

"Then I'll do it more. But not right now," Jace laughed, "I don't think it would do too well for us if people thought my tail was doing something else."

Alyss giggled at the thought. "Nope. Not at all."

"But I _can_ do this." Jace brought his tail over and lightly wrapped it around her waist as much as he could.

Alyss smiled at the feeling. "Oh I like that too."

"I think it goes pretty well with those adorable ears of yours." Jace remarked.

"And yours. I haven't told you before, but your tongue got rougher too. It's been that way for awhile… since before you got your ears."

"How would you…" Jace started to ask and Alyss only winked at him, giving him enough of an answer. He laughed and shook his head, "Goes pretty well with yours doesn't it?"

"Hmm… I'm not answering that."

Jace laughed again at the words he used a few months ago. He tilted his head as he thought about something else. "Is it just me or is it longer than what a cat Faunus' tail should be?" He asked.

"It varies from Faunus to Faunus. My grandpa had a pretty short one while Neon's is almost as long as yours from what I remember."

"I'm guessing its like the ears for fox Faunus, right?" Jace asked, smiling as he remembered the friendly Faunus from Mistral named Seras.

"Right. And like how Blake's ears are faced forward and mine are faced out to the side a bit more."

"I don't think I've ever told you how pretty your hair is. Like the black bangs and how one of your ears is black and the other is blonde," Jace kissed her at the base of one of them, drawing a purr from her, "It's one of the things I like about you."

"And what other things do you like?"

"There's your hair, your ears, the handstockings you wear with your combat outfit, your body, how you look in that dress," Jace squeezed her hand and she pushed herself up more against him, "And what I love about you… Your eyes, your smile, the way you act like a cat when you want, your attitude about everything, your personality, and a lot of other things."

Alyss laid her head on his shoulder and smiled. "There's a lot I love about you too. Like how you embrace your new Faunus side and your willpower and your loyalty. Genesis said his aura isn't in _Standoff_ anymore but you're still taking it everywhere with you."

"That's because it was his. But maybe I can put it to rest some day."

"It's been through a lot. It deserves to be retired."

"Maybe. I know the perfect resting spot too," Jace gave a smaller smile, "It'll be after we graduate. It'll be like both me and him are graduating together."

"I think I know where you'll put it," Alyss said with a smile, "But even without your sword it'll be like that. His aura's in you."

"Yeah, it is."

They reached the stairs and went down to the doors. Jace stopped and took a deep breath. He looked at Alyss and they shared a quick kiss. Then they opened the door and walked toward the cafeteria, ready to finally start their classes at Beacon.

 **XxXxX**

 **AN: And that's a wrap for The Brave and the Bold. I'm really glad and proud that I actually wrote this and got it out there. H** **opefully you guys enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed it, writing and reading back through it all.**

 **I have plans for two more stories. One as a sequel to this and one where nothing bad happens, such as the invasion or the breach. That's on down the road, though.**

 **Also, I had to throw a Red vs Blue reference in somewhere! I couldn't just not do something. It takes me back to when I first became a fan of Rooster Teeth.**

 **Anyways, I hope you enjoyed. See you later, and have a nice day!**


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